


Fanged Wishes and Deals

by Correnteza



Series: Fanged Wishes and Deals [1]
Category: Victorious
Genre: F/F, vampire and demon au
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-03-10
Updated: 2018-06-10
Packaged: 2019-03-29 08:46:26
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 24,968
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13923564
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Correnteza/pseuds/Correnteza
Summary: The Vegas come from a long line of vampires, and the gang decides it would be fun to summon a demon one night, which kickstarts everything into motion. Jade and the Vega's have made a generations old deal, and that deal didn't involve Tori deciding to let the demon move in with them.Damn near everyone is some form of supernatural being, minus werewolves.  Sorry friends.Inspired some by Kim Harrison's works, the Rachel Morgan series.DISCLAIMER: The mature rating doesn't really come into effect until the last chapter but there are suggestive scenes before then.





	1. The Summoning

**Author's Note:**

> DISCLAIMER: The mature rating doesn't really come into effect until the last chapter but there are suggestive scenes before then.

The stars almost seemed too low in the sky, like if the urge to lunge at them so struck her, she could swallow them whole. Her teeth felt too jagged for her mouth, a dull ache lingered in her jaw, much like the faint taste of blood. Tonight a monster rose, leaving behind the shell of a girl who hadn’t been powerful enough to grab life by the throat and take what she needed. Flesh and blood met shows and hellfire, but most importantly, _power_.  
Ragged pants accompanied a low chuckle like a haunting tune, gloved hands coming together to rest atop a cane as a smile that was all fang flashed, “Welcome to the night world, darling. Get cozy, you’re going to be in this world when you aren’t in ours for centuries, if you’re smart enough not to die. Your first test begins tonight.” A golden eye with a long, slitted pupil shone with a wink.

“Just relax, it’s only some dumb legend,” another wine cooler was passed over, “don’t be a pussy, we’re going to have a good time.”  
“Summoning demons is not my definition of a good time,” the brunette complained, but took a sip of the fruity drink anyway.  
“I’m with Tori, this seems scary.” A pout accompanied the words, the girl pulling the pillow closer to her chest.  
“Cat, Tori, relax. What’s the worst that’s going to happen? We’ve taken the right precautions.” Andre’s voice was as smooth as midnight jazz as he gave the two an encouraging grin.  
“Yeah, we’ve done our research,” another boy piped up, his arm around the eldest and most irritated person in the room. "Right Robbie?“ He nodded to the last member of their little group, who pushed his glasses higher up on his nose and nodded nervously.  
"I even left Rex behind so we wouldn’t take any risks with him being used as a vessel if this works properly.”  
“If only we knew sooner that this is all it would take for you to finally leave him behind,” Trina muttered under her breath, earning a disapproving nudge from Beck. Her next words were louder, “Let’s get started.” She stood, pulling the Canadian up with her as she moved around the table where various papers were spread out along with a notebook.  
Carefully, and with almost suspicious precision, Beck outlined a circle on the stone floor with chalk, silence falling over the garage. Andre picked up one of the pages, a large circle with various shapes and symbols drawn on the paper, and handed it to the redhead.  
“You’re the best artist we have, and it needs to be as close as possible, okay Little Red?” his voice was gentle as she took the paper nervously.  
“What am I drawing it with?” Cat’s voice shook a bit as she quietly asked the question.  
“Since we can’t use blood, this will have to do,” Trina tossed over a can of spray paint.  
“But…won’t this stain the floor?”  
“Already taken care of, chica, we have the tub of pain stripper over there and the guy at the store swore it works on concrete.”  
Cat sighed and resigned herself to carefully drawing out the shape in the chalk Beck handed her, then tracing it in the paint. Tori watched the group with growing unease, still not liking this idea one bit. Seeing her moping, Trina put her to work, partnering her temporarily with Robbie.  
“Tori, you can start the offering. Get that glass and listen to the puppeteer.”  
A grumble left her lips, and her gaze met Robbie’s as he offered a small smile and pushed the glass over to her. "What do I have to do?“ A sigh accompanied her question.  
"Well, if you want, put a little of your drink in, a few different places have mentioned she has an affinity for peaches,” he offered, looking down to his notes as she reluctantly shared some of her drink. "Then the red wine, to represent blood. A hint of clove for the pain she suffered when her jaw was shattered by her maker.“  
"That sounds gruesome,” Tori commented dryly, but did as she was instructed. A quick glance over in her redheaded friend’s direction revealed that the symbol was a lot more intricate than she had expected, and something about the shapes gave her the chills.  
“Well, I mean, it was,” Robbie glanced up at her, then down again as he flipped back a few pages, “the whole story kind of is. She was wronged at the hands of those close to her, with attempts made on her life, and was left to die out in a field among the animals. Some even say she was left out by the animals so that the stench of death of one who was deemed evil would keep the wild animals from attacking the livestock. There are different accounts of what exactly happened to her, but there are only a few popular ones.  
"Anyway, you can find all kinds of betrayals made against her if you look, but the most popular is that her mother was killed in front of her, as some kind of threat to put her in her place. The accounts vary of if it were her father that did it, or her lover, but it’s always one of the two. Her lover was a vain man, and they had been pushed into a union that would allow both families to be wealthier, and like most vain rich men of that time, he was exceedingly cruel. She was, however, said to have had a rather dark sense of humor as well, so in good times they probably hit it off well enough to manage. Her hunting dog had gone after the murderer, only to be shot down midair. Supposedly, the spirit of the dog was so enraged, and so bonded to her, that its fur burnt and sparks flew from it, rising with glowing red eyes as a hellhound that possessed her and made her rip out his throat. That night, she became a demon.”  
“Okay, one, that’s kind of really far fetched and parts of it make no sense and are stupid. Two, I’ve seen at least three other claims of what happened to her that aren’t even close to that beyond the mother and her having a dog, that’s just the most popular. Three, do you know how many people were murdered in history? If everyone who wanted revenge became a demon, there wouldn’t have been enough people left to continue to populate the earth. People can’t even agree on when she existed.” Tori crossed her arms, frowning to herself.  
“Hey!” Trina snapped at her. "Quit your bitching and do your job!“  
The younger sister rolled her eyes, letting Robbie pass her a wooden bowl with the rest of their pathetic excuse for an offering. She checked on Cat again, only to find the girl hugging her pillow once more, finished with her task. Beck came over and took the glass, setting it carefully on a dry patch in one of the shapes, Trina doing the same with the bowl and a candle. Robbie only stood when the two backed off, carefully tracing the outline of the circle with a thick layer of salt.  
"I guess we’re ready to begin. Once we light the candles…” For the first time that night, Andre was beginning to sound unsure.  
Trina took a match to each, as Robbie recited the beginning of the ritual he had found and tweaked with the help of knowledgeable practitioners of….whatever this was. It all seemed a bit showy and cheesy dumb movie style, effectively distracting them all from unease.  
Cat hugged her pillow tighter as Beck took over, reading from the page with careful, but deliberate pronunciation, the Latin rolling off his tongue with an ease suggesting they had been practicing and planning this for a while, and her stomach churned at the mere thought of checking the translation etched beside the lines of words. Robbie now drew a circle around the six of them in salt, a precaution as Trina lit the stick of incense.  
“We demand now that the demon Juyrlocragaro, formerly Jade Diana West, show yourself now!” Beck ended the speech, lighting the final candle, a tapered green one that resided inside the circle with them.  
“Please,” Cat added quietly, mostly to herself, but earned a sharp look.  
Tori looked around, her unease growing despite a lack of anything happening.  
“Cat, I swear if you just fucked this up…”  
“Hold up, Trina,” Andre shook his head and nodded to the candles outside the circle. The flames flickered, leaning to one side. "Something’s going on. We closed all the windows, and the door hasn’t been open for well over an hour.“  
The smoke from the incense curled through the air, wispy tendrils gliding to the crimson seal on the floor and rolling over it. The candles flickered, nearly going out, but in the next blink, the candle inside the seal was lit, a flame rising to lap at the smoke from the incense and seeming to color it black and thicken it. The black smoke didn’t rise, didn’t pile up; there was no loud noise; no sparks and flourishes; only the smell of a freshly lit match warned what was to come.  
The figure appeared all at once, green eyes cutting into the six. Her pupils were slitted, as they expected, but not in the way of a cat, they cut across her eye more in the fashion of a goat’s pupils, and they seemed almost amused. Her lips were full, and before them in tight leather with chains hanging from the belt loops, this demon was a teenage boy’s wet dream. "It’s a bit early for you to be making demands, is it not? You wouldn’t want to give the wrong impression and come off as disrespectful, would you? You have the audacity to spit my name into the air with less grace than a fish floundering in the sand to return to the sea, but haven’t shared any of yours.”  
Robbie shook his head vehemently, “Guys, don’t do it. There’s power in names, you can’t reveal it to her.”  
A humorless chuckle escaped the demon, a flourish of her hand making the waiting glass appear in it, “Someone’s been on the internet. Silly boy, do you truly underestimate me? I know each of your names, first, middle and last, it’s merely a courtesy my extending the offer to you to introduce yourself now.”  
“She’s gotta be bluffing,” Beck said, shaking his head, “I read that too, we can’t trust her.”  
“Beck Oliver, I would watch what leaves your mouth. I’m not someone you want to offend. That goes likewise for you, Catrina Grace Vega.”  
“How the fuck?!” Trina was interrupted by the redhead piping up, clearly intimidated by the force in front of them.  
“I’m Cat,” her voice was small and timid. “Like the animal…”  
“Don’t be so frightened,” the demon smirked, fangs just barely peeking out, “I always had a soft spot for little Kittens.”  
“Don’t look at her like she’s some kind of snack,” Andre stepped in front of the redhead, temper briefly flaring.  
Tori took it upon herself to distract them both, “Tori. If we’re giving you our names, what should we be calling you? One of your names seems to be a bit of a mouthful.”  
That earned a chuckle from the raven haired being. “Jade will do fine. I’m somehow not surprised it’s the girls that have the sense to be courteous, but what can you expect these days.”  
“Enough small talk. You will answer our questions in return for the offerings we have provided you with, any further bargains will be discussed later.” Beck tried to pull them back to track, remembering what they had gone over about how to properly word their demands.  
Unfortunately, however, it seemed that their sources weren’t entirely accurate, or perhaps maybe not thorough enough in teaching them. Jade’s only response was to laugh so hard she nearly spilled her drink, “Oh will I now? You call a shitty wine cooler and the cheapest red wine you could find an offering? The only worthwhile thing in this whole attempt of yours is the candle you’ve given me, and even that isn’t much. You didn’t even have the balls to approach me alone, instead I find myself babysitting six teenagers when I have far, far better matters to attend to.”  
“We are the ones in control here, if we order you to leave, you have no choice. We could waste your night just summoning and banishing you for hours if you don’t want to agree to our terms.” Trina rose her chin as she spoke, locking gazes with their guest.  
“Try it, and I think you’ll learn very quickly that you’ll need more than salt to hide behind if my patience runs out,” Jade’s eyes narrowed, and she grimaced as she took a sip of the wine.  
“I apologize for them both,” Tori spoke up again, reluctantly deciding that she didn’t want her sister burnt to a crisp today, “not all of us were so eager to blindly rush into this. On behalf of us all, I would like to welcome you tonight and thank you for your time.” She held still as green eyes contemplated her, pale skin illuminated by the candles more than the dim overhead light.  
“You interest me the most, Victoria Alisha Vega, and your welcome means more to me than a thousand souls.” Jade’s voice was grey velvet, caressing her ears and wrapping around her. “You are both of old blood, and it is a welcome surprise to find that manners haven’t been entirely lost in your bloodline.”  
“Will you answer our questions?” Beck spoke again, his voice holding a forced calmness, even as he quieted Trina before she could protest the insult.  
“I could. What’s in it for me?”  
“What do you want, apart from these offerings?” He spoke carefully, not committing himself to anything just yet.  
“We could start with a decent drink. Coffee will do, it’s hell finding a good cup anywhere these days.” Jade watched them expectantly, smirking to herself when no one moved. “You’re so confident that some salt will hold me, but not confident enough to step out of the little prison you created for yourselves?”  
“How do we know you won’t pull any tricks if one of us steps out?” Robbie fixed his glasses again, trying not to cower under the intense look directed at him.  
“Show me respect, and I’ll allow you a certain measure of it. Whichever one of you is sent into your cozy little house to fetch me a proper offering, I will not harm for leaving that excuse of a circle you’ve made.” Jade already sounded bored as she flicked the glass aside, and the group was left to determine who would be the one to leave the others.  
“I’ll do it,” Andre finally said, not wanting to risk sending one of the girls out. Careful not to dislodge any of the salt, he slowly stepped out of their circle, eyes never leaving Jade as he made his way to the door, and disappeared inside.  
They stood in mostly silence as they waited, Trina and Beck carrying a hushed debate of how best to proceed as Robbie flicked through his notes again. Cat was content to keep hugging her poor pillow for dear life, while Tori studied the demon who had known her name and lineage so easily. It wasn’t until Andre returned with a mug that Jade spoke again.  
“Leave it on that table, I’ll even wait until after you’re back in your little circle to take it.”  
He obeyed, a bit doubtful that she’d be able to obtain it but also not wanting to even consider how to get it in her circle. Andre stepped back into his own circle a bit too quickly, nerves calmed once he had the numbers on his side again. An amused gaze followed his actions, and within a moment, the mug was in Jade’s hand, being guided to her lips.  
“Not bad, not bad at all,” she commented after taking a sip.  
“Will you answer our questions now?” Trina eyed her, not enjoying this waste of time.  
A deep sigh left the demon, and she waved a dismissive hand at them, “I don’t have all night. And _try_ to make them interesting.”  
“How do you know about my family?” Trina took the first question.  
“The same way I know your names. Next.”  
“How old are you?” Robbie tried next.  
“Older than you. Didn’t your mother ever teach you not to ask a woman that?” Jade sat cross legged on the floor, making herself comfortable as she took another sip of the coffee.  
“I mean, when are you from? I’ve never seen a concrete answer,” Robbie stammered out.  
“I have watched the library of Alexandria burn countless times, in your world and in others.”  
“What do you mean ‘and in others’?” Beck crossed his arms with a frown.  
“Are you really so vain as to think your world is the only one to exist?”  
“Do other worlds exist that are varients of the timelines of this one?” Robbie seemed excited by this notion.  
“Not exact replicas. Visiting the past is something one can do in this world if they aren’t disruptive. As soon as something is changed, an alternate world is made, which cannot be distinguished from their true world.”  
“So you’ve time traveled?” Robbie tilted his head.  
“God that sounds so nerdy. If I were to so choose, I could be in ancient Mayan empires in a second.”  
“Who are you a student of?” Tori finally spoke up again, and the question was enough to interest the demon. “If you’ve existed for so long, there are countless philosophers and students you could have picked the brains of. One might even be so bold as to say if you can jump worlds, you could in theory study from the figures of mythology since you’re kind of one yourself.”  
“Clever girl. I like you. I’m a student of whomever interests me. I have knelt before war goddesses and learned from gods of medicine. I have watched the great hunts, and seen the wolf son of the trickster who is said to bring the end of the world to us. I have learned from Plato, and I have learned from monks. I have learned from demons older than time itself.”  
“What actually happened to you before you were a demon?” Beck changed the subject back to their original warm up questions.  
“Who says there was a before?” Jade seemed annoyed at the interruption.  
“Was there?”  
“Why are you so interested? I’m not here asking for your life story.”  
“You agreed to answer our questions.”  
“Ah,” Jade held up a finger, “I did no such thing. Your little girlfriend asked, and I said to begin. I did not say I agreed to answer any questions you asked.”  
“Did you really have a dog?” Cat’s voice caught them all off guard, and Jade turned her head slightly to study the redhead.  
“At one point, yes.”  
“What was its name?” Cat peeked up from her pillow with a little smile, oblivious to Beck’s annoyance that she had gotten an answer to such a trivial question when he had just been denied interesting information.  
“A word from an old language meaning protector.”  
“Why did you become a demon?” Trina tried to take over on Beck’s attempts.  
“I wanted to. When you are filled with enough hatred, a beautiful thing happens, and you will destroy someone’s happiness at any cost, and it has been well worth it.”  
“What did they do?” Andre frowned, wary of just how formidable this being was.  
“Enough. All you need know is that they have paid the price.”  
“Can you teach us anything?” Beck looked through one of the pages Robbie had written out.  
“I could, but the question is would I?”  
“What could you teach us?” Robbie glanced at the list he’d made curiously.  
“Many things, but I fail to see how it would benefit me in any way.”  
“What do you want in return for the knowledge?” Beck was growing weary of this exchange.  
“You aren’t prepared to make those kinds of sacrifices yet. Your need isn’t that great.”  
“Would you help us find someone?” Tori met her gaze again, “He's been missing for almost a month and no one will take it seriously.”  
“For a price,” the demon answered, studying her over the rim of the coffee mug.  
“What’s the price?”  
“Until we decide on a different one, no efforts will be made to banish me until we locate him.”  
“Deal,” Tori spoke almost immediately, not exactly earning the favor of her companions.  
“You can find Sikowitz?” Cat sounded hopeful.  
“I can, but we can’t get to him from in here, Kitten.”  
“We?” Beck didn’t even try to hide the suspicious note in his voice.  
“How am I supposed to show you, from in this pitiful little attempt at a holding cell you’ve made?” Jade spoke slowly, as if explaining something to a particularly dim young child. “I'll be navigating you dimwits.”  
“And we're just supposed to trust you?” Trina crossed her arms over her chest.  
“As I said, show some respect and I’ll allow you a certain measure of it.”  
Beck conferred quietly with Robbie for a moment before looking to the demon again, “In return for us allowing you limited freedom to roam here tonight, you will make no attempts to harm any of us and will leave compliantly when banished. Do you agree to these terms?”  
Jade picked at her nails, “To the best of my ability.” A long claw sprung from her finger, sticking open her opposing palm and letting blood drip to the ground before the wound closed itself. “Will you actually be honoring them?”  
In answer, Beck took his pocket knife, cutting his finger to let the blood out. A low chuckle met the action, and Robbie nervously broke their circle, then the demon’s. Jade winked and stepped out, kicking up salt on her way. The now empty mug in her hands was exchanged for the candle, the faint smell of hazelnut rising from it.

It was decided that they would take Beck’s parents’ SUV, with him and Trina in the front, Tori and the demon in the middle, and the last three in the back. A map was spread over Jade’s lap, and Tori held up her phone's map for her to watch their location update. A thin golden chain wrapped around Jade’s fingers, a darkly colored crystal that formed a near perfect point hanging from the end. The pendulum swung in slow circles, each getting smaller as she occasionally tapped the road they needed to get to, Tori giving the driver directions when it was time to turn.  
Tori watched silently as the pendulum came to a dead stop, pointing over one point on the map and not budging no matter how the car swayed them. “He's there then?” she asked quietly as the vehicle made its way onto the highway. Jade nodded, taking the phone to enlargen the area they would have to search.  
Tori left her to the task, looking outside to study the brightening sky. She had hoped they’d be back before the sun rose, preferably with Sikowitz safe at home, but it seemed like they’d be a bit late. The drive took maybe half an hour or a bit longer before Beck found a place to park and they filed out of the car. Jade ignored the clueless teenagers and started walking, seemingly chipper in the night air.  
The group was left to only follow her, Beck keeping his knife in hand and Trina growing more and more annoyed. The walk was a bit confusing, Jade leading them down seemingly random alleys before coming to a stop outside a small store that seemed to cater to various health foods. “We're here.”  
“Well I sure don’t see him,” Beck looked around. Tori peered inside, trying to see into the dark store, while Jade slipped between the store and the building beside it and climbed up the fire escape stairs. Warily, Beck nodded for them to follow her as she opened the door and slipped inside. Jade led them to a small patio, where their teacher was asleep in a chair next to a small pile of shopping bags.  
“Sikowitz!” Andre gently shook him awake, startling the older man.  
“What? What? Children? What are you doing here?” Sikowitz got to his feet, brushing himself off.  
“You’ve been gone almost a month,” Tori said, “we were worried about you.”  
“My car broke down when I drove up here and I’ve been staying here while I wait for it to get fixed. They just finished it the other day but I thought I’d stay the rest of the little break they’ve given you students.”  
“Will you come back with us?” Beck watched him.  
“If you’ve been that worried. But the sun is about to rise and we have a nice view, so let’s hang around a bit longer,” he clasped his hands and looked happily out at the horizon.  
Robbie nudged Beck at that, nodding to the demon. If they could get rid of her before their teacher noticed, the better off they’d be, but Beck didn’t seem to want to risk banishing her catching his attention.  
Tori glanced at their companion, or perhaps prisoner, she really wasn’t sure at this point, finding an almost serene smile on full lips. She was close enough to see Jade’s pupils had taken on a more normal appearance, though they were still noticeably slitted, and from the right angle she could see the reflection of the sky line as soft hues spread across the sky.  
“Who's your friend, she doesn’t look like anyone from the school,” Sikowitz’s voice brought them back to reality.  
“I'm staying with Tori,” Jade's smile revealed still too sharp teeth for just a second.  
“I thought you said you were heading home once we found him?” Trina’s eyes narrowed. “There’s no way you’re staying with us.”  
“We made a deal,” Beck hissed quietly.  
“The sun is up,” Jade said simply, no longer bound to their little game of trying to make rules.  
“It certainly is,” Sikowitz wrapped an arm around his nearest student.  
“You won’t hurt them will you?” Cat asked the demon quietly.  
“I will not kill them unless they try to kill me. Hurting them…is dependent on them. Don’t fret, sweet little Kitten. I do owe them for unleashing me on this world.” Jade’s voice was quiet, hushed so others wouldn’t hear.  
Beck had initially refused to take Jade with them, but was given no choice when faced with the option of cooperation or four flat tires. He kept Trina with him for the weekend, dropping Cat off at home at her request, and reluctantly making a stop at the Vega house.  
“You're sure you’ll be alright?” He asked Tori, who only nodded and led the demon to the front door. She didn’t open it until the car was gone and she had the chance to speak to Jade alone.  
“It would be best if my parents didn’t see you… we can figure out something to tell them later but for now, is there something you can do?”  
Silence met her request, and she turned to look at the girl, only to find she had disappeared. Glancing down, Tori was faced with a jet black bunny where the other had stood, and despite herself, she smiled. Scooping the bunny up, she headed inside and said good morning to her parents when she spotted them in the kitchen before darting upstairs to avoid them seeing the bunny at all. She cuddled the soft fur to her chest, unable to resist burying her face in the softness for a moment as she made her way to the sanctuary of her room.  
Gently, she placed the bunny on her bed and closed the door to her room, “Alright, you’re clear now.” When she turned again, Jade was lying on her bed in a short sleeved V neck and shorts, one of Tori’s flannel button ups hanging off her shoulders.  
“I trust you won’t complain about sharing after snuggling your face in me,” the demon chuckled, moving to the other side of the bed when Tori motioned her to.  
“It isn’t my fault rabbits are soft,” Tori defended as she changed into more comfortable sleepwear. Before too long, she settled into bed, questioning how wise this all was.  
Long silence stretched between them for a while before Tori spoke again, “Jade… Why did your blood smell so good?”  
“Tell me, Victoria Alisha Vega, do your friends know that your bloodline is rich with vampires?”  
“Vampires? You can’t be serious,” Tori frowned, thinking the demon was making fun of her. “Just because I haven’t been around for centuries doesn’t mean you-“  
Jade cut her off, a finger resting on her lips, “Settle. You’re here so ready to believe that you summoned a demon, but you can’t believe in your own lineage? Why else would my blood have excited you so? I bet your sister got inexplicably excited when her little snack cut his finger open so close to her. Don’t blame me for what your parents haven’t told you. My blood intoxicates you because of the rush of power that could fill you.”  
“If I’m a vampire, wouldn’t I have known it before now?” Tori huffed, watching her closely despite the way her cheeks tingled at the lingering feeling of the finger on her lips.  
“The two of you being living vampires, it would be simple enough for your parents to keep it away from you until they deem it a necessity to tell you. As a living vampire, you reap the best of both worlds, walking freely under the sun, having no limitations when it comes to entering holy spaces, but also having a boosted strength and speed. Your instincts wouldn’t have had the need to kick in if your parents have been raising you as humans. You technically don’t need blood to survive, but your lifespan is much shorter without it, so your parents have probably given you supplements of it somehow in your meals. As a child, trips to the dentist probably included filing down some of your teeth deemed too pointy, but your fangs would have just kept coming back.”  
“Why would my parents keep it from us?” Tori still wasn’t quite buying it all.  
“Probably to keep you from drawing suspicion. You still don’t believe me,” a studded eyebrow was raised.  
“Even you have to admit it is a little far fetched,” Tori defended, crossing her arms.  
The demon studied her for a long moment before straddling her in a fluid motion, pinning her wrists above her head with one pale hand. Full lips brushed the girl’s ear, “Then tell me why your heart races when you smell this, when you know as well as I do that none of your friends reacted like this.” A sharp claw sprung from her thumb, pricking open the pad of her index finger. Jade held the bleeding digit just out of reach of Tori, watching pupils dilate until the brown of Tori’s iris was a thin ring. "You’re starving for it and you won’t even admit it to yourself.”  
The little cut closed, leaving behind a thin smear of blood on her skin. A chuckle slipped from full lips, and she rested the finger on Tori’s lower lip, "Just a little taste to rid you of any lingering doubt.” A shiver ran through her as the black of Tori’s pupils swallowed her iris entirely, the little flick of a tongue against her finger. "Later we’ll discuss your fangs. For now, sleep.“  
Tori felt a rush of cool air when Jade was suddenly lying beside her again, her head spinning as she tried to process everything going on. Her heart was pounding in her throat, which suddenly felt dry, leaving her thirsty enough to tentatively reach for the water bottle on her bedside table. She didn’t look to the demon just yet, licking her lips slowly, the taste of Jade’s blood still on them. The experience was both disturbing and uncomfortably arousing, Jade’s dominance and weight on her sparking desire but the rest troubling her. Perhaps even more troubling was that she had quite enjoyed the taste.  
"Don’t do that,” she mumbled, sullen as she took a sip of the water before curling up tightly under her blankets.  
“Someone’s grumpy because she’s being shown things about herself she didn’t know,” Jade murmured, amusement in her voice. She earned only a grumpy grunt in response, and she shook her head to herself. Humans, even the ones that were secretly vampires, were such stubborn creatures.  
Tori kept her eyes closed until she felt something cold on her cheek. Brow furrowing, she opened her eyes to see the same bunny from before with its paw on her cheek. Tori tried very hard to remain irritated, but melted a little at the cute sight. "Damn you,” she mumbled, gently stroking the soft fur. Perhaps she was overreacting a bit because she was tired and this was all more than a little absurd. It had been a long night, the events including summoning an actual, living, breathing demon and breaking some kind of rule by not banishing it before sunrise, and learning she was supposedly some supernatural creature. Maybe after a nap she’d ask exactly what rule they’d broken by keeping Jade around, but right now she just wanted some rest. If Jade was going to harm them, she would have by now, rather than curling up under Tori’s chin as a sweet little bunny.


	2. Italian Delicacies

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A questionable explanation of the vampire diet up until now, and Cat sleeps over to bond with Trina.

Waking up was rarely classified as a "fun” activity, but there was something about waking up to the sound of a shriek that gave you goosebumps before your eyes were even open that was even less enjoyable. Tori shot up, heart ready to race out of her chest, “Trina, what? What’s wrong?”  
“What the fuck is that doing here?!” Trina sounded far too furious for this little sleep.  
“Well I was sleeping, but you shot that horse in the face, didn’t you iron lung?” Jade shot the elder sister a smoldering glare.  
“Girls, what’s the problem?” A male voice called up from downstairs, and Tori quickly cut her sister off before she could answer.  
“We’ll be right down, dad!” Tori left her bed and gave Trina a stern look, “Stop it. It isn’t like she’s attacked any of us, she isn’t even bothering anyone.”  
“Right,” Trina rolled her eyes, “fine, let’s see what mom and dad think of your new pet.”  
Jade eyed the duo, slinking out of the bed, and for a moment a dark mark was visible on pale skin before her shorts gave way to dark jeans. "How I do enjoy meeting the parents. Lead the way,“ her eyes flashed gold for a moment, a smirk on her lips. "Have I mentioned you look delicious today?” She snickered as the girl glared at her and slunk away.   
“Play nice,” Tori nudged the demon as she got changed, but she fought hard to keep a smile from her lips.  
“When she does,” Jade said simply, following her new roommate out into the hallway and downstairs. Her gaze immediately spotted the couple in the kitchen, an almost predatory look coming onto her features. "Holly, and David. Such a pleasure to see you again, I trust dear little Catrina told you that I spent the morning?”  
"Up yours,” Trina grumbled from where she was sitting at the table.  
“Buy me dinner first,” Jade winked back, chuckling to herself when Tori elbowed her stomach.  
David and Holly were less welcoming than Tori would have liked, and Trina would have expected. Two stern glares were fixed on Jade, then each girl. “Girls,” David began, watching Tori sit down, “why do we have someone here without your mother or I knowing about it? More importantly, why did we decide summoning a demon from the pits of hell was an acceptable activity?”  
“It wasn’t supposed to work,” Trina rolled her eyes. "It was just something dumb to do at a sleepover thing.”  
"How many times have we told you to just leave superstitious shit alone?” Holly sighed and shook her head. "Why did you bring Juyrlocragaro home with you?”  
"Jade is fine,” the demon interjected, helping herself to a mug of coffee. "Why so cold, Holly? You’re looking well. You too, David. You never mentioned you didn’t tell your pretty little daughters. Leaving explaining things to me, such slackers.”  
"What did you tell them?” Holly bristled at that, standing from her seat.  
“What are you talking about?” Trina sounded even more irritated at the confusion.  
“I’ve only explained to Tori, you can explain to your eldest about the vampirism.”   
“You’re full of shit,” Trina snorted, shaking her head and leaning back in her seat once more.  
“I don’t think she is, Trina,” Tori’s voice was almost inaudible. "Something doesn’t make sense.“  
"You have no business doing this,” Davis stared the demon down, annoyed by how cockily she met his gaze. "It is our job to do what we deem best for our children, not yours to decide to do what you want.”  
"How do you even know her? And what the hell is going on?” Trina cut them both off. "You’re here ready to have a fit at us for summoning a demon, yet you all seem to be on a first name basis.”  
Jade arched her eyebrows and sat herself on the counter, watching the married couple fumble a bit for an explanation to give their daughters. She made herself comfortable and simply waited with baited breath as she sipped her pilfered coffee.  
"It’s not a simple matter, Trina,” David pinched the bridge of his nose as a headache started to form. “Your mother and I know Juyrlocragaro from long before we came here. We were in some mutual social circles.”  
“And why did you share social circles with a demon? If she’s here, why do people bother saying that demons can’t be out past sunrise?” Trina interjected, crossing her arms.  
“That’s a technicality. Before sunrise, we can still be banished,” Jade smirked against the cup, “after, we can do as we please.”  
“Anyway,” Holly gave their residential demon a glare, “we were members of rather influential society, and to an extent, still are. We are directly connected to the inner workings of this city, and one day you girls will be too." While she was speaking, David had gone upstairs and was then returning with a fairly large album. He set it on the table in front of his daughters, carefully opening the cover and unfolding a long page that revealed a meticulously kept family tree.  
"Back to before this country even became what it is, before America was ‘discovered’, our ancestors are documented here,” David explained before briefly going through some of the first members on each side. He skipped over most of the middle, knowing the seated pair wouldn’t care much about them right now. “Even your grandparents right here,” he moved onto another page after pointing them out, revealing further trees more focused on specific generations, “all leading to your mother and I, and then the two of you. Not everyone on the tree is a vampire, but very few are not. You girls are one of the situations born to two vampires.”  
“I thought vampires couldn’t be in sunlight, or churches. You’ve taken us into both,” Trina still didn’t exactly seem convinced.  
“We’re what’s known as living vampires. While we live, we can still do all of that. It isn’t until we die that the limitations set in, but we grow more powerful,” David explained patiently.  
“We’ve survived this long without having to rip someone open like a juice box,” Trina countered.  
Jade scooted off the counter, abandoning her coffee as she slunk over to Trina, leaning down so their heads were closer together. “While that may be true, Trina Grace, did your heart beat faster last night when your little boyfriend spilled his blood during our agreement? Did it spark an insatiable fire you later mistook for lust and sated as such? You may not have wanted to rip him open like a juice box, as you so elegantly put it, but you did want to devour him, didn’t you?"  
Before Trina could react unfavorably, Jade was back on her counter, sipping coffee as if nothing had happened. Tori kept a close eye on her sister, a tad worried about her reaction, but Trina said nothing, just stared down at the paper as her tongue ran over the edges of her teeth, pausing at her canines. When Trina did speak, her gaze was unreadable and fixed on her parents, "So you’re saying you’ve waited this long, and it would have been longer had it not have been for last night’s events, to tell us that we’re some kind of unholy abominations that shitty movies have been made about?”  
“Trina, sweetie, it isn’t anything to be ashamed of,” Holly rested a hand on her daughter’s shoulder but it was shrugged off.  
“Jade said that our lifespan would be considerably shorter if you haven’t been finding a way to slip blood into our diets,” Tori finally spoke up, words slow and deliberate. “Is that true?"  
A sigh left David, and he pulled open the freezer, digging into the back to pull out a black box of the steaks the girls had been told to leave alone for him after his long days at work. Opening the box, he produced carefully packaged blood bags, "With your affinity for Italian cooking and pasta, it hasn’t been hard to find a way to make sure you’ve both been getting your dietary requirements and build you up to the taste before we told you."  
Trina was unable to handle things past that, and she left the table, silent as she made her way to her room, and David was quietly told to let her go and cool off. Tori sat in silence, gaze leaving the bags to instead focus on the charts again.  
"Why didn’t you tell us?”  
“We wanted you to just have a normal high school and college experience without worrying about this on top of everything. We know it can already be hard for you to fit in and we didn’t want to ostracize you,” Holly smoothed her daughter’s hair down.  
Tori nodded slowly, silently meeting Jade’s gaze and giving the demon a slight nod. She wanted to know more, and she wasn’t sure she trusted her parents to reveal everything to her. “If it’s okay, I just want to lay down a while longer,” she told her mother, standing slowly and returning the embrace she found herself in. Silently, she tilted her head in gesture for Jade to follow her back upstairs.  
David’s eyes narrowed as he watched the demon get down to obey, and he stepped in front of her after Tori left the room, “I don’t want you filling either of their heads with ridiculous tales."  
Jade tilted her head, "I only aim to educate in what she asks me. The ridiculous tales and deceptions are all in your hands, David Raymond Vega." She slipped around him and followed Tori up the stairs and back into her bedroom.   
The girl sighed as she sat on her bed, running a hand through her hair and trying to take it all in. "I just… I don’t know. I didn’t really expect you to be lying, but I didn’t expect you to be right either. This is just a lot to take in."  
Jade sat beside her, pushing her onto her back, "You can worry about it when you wake up. Family secrets or not, you need more sleep."  
Tori studied her as she stretched out beside her for the second time that day. "Why haven’t you hurt any of us yet? That sounds ignorant, sorry. But why are you hanging around here? You must have things you want to do here now that you can roam freely under the sun.”  
“What reason do I have to hurt you? As I’ve said, Victoria Alisha Vega, you interest me the most,” Jade responded, green eyes locked on brown.   
Tori felt a shiver ride down her spine, something about the way her full name rolled off Jade’s tongue making her skin tingle pleasantly and her thighs press closer together, “You know you could call me Tori.”  
“I know,” Jade answered simply. She arched an eyebrow when the girl lifted one of her pale arms and dragged it to drape over the brunette, Tori simply nestling back into her and telling herself that she’d fall asleep faster this way. Jade allowed the action, letting the strange little vampire take comfort in her presence and having a warm body so close.  
Tori had spent a particularly long day at school keeping to herself. Trina had kept Beck busy most of the day, using the Canadian as her own distraction and in turn preventing him from asking too much about Jade, which Tori took as a relief. The other boys asked in hushed tones what had happened, and she’d simply shrugged and told them that the demon didn’t really do anything, just seemed interested in gaining knowledge. The most difficult, in a way, was Cat. The redheaded acted like nothing at all was amiss, apart from scolding Beck once for being rude about Tori letting Jade spend the night. Cat had asked her later, in private, if Jade was still hanging around, and didn’t seem displeased when there was a positive answer.  
Tori just wanted some time alone, to soak in everything from the previous day and avoid the comments and interrogation Beck was itching for. She was grateful for once to come home to an empty house, and made her way to the kitchen to poke around the fridge. Inside, she found Jade sitting cross-legged on the island, pouting down at the little candle in her hand.  
“What’s wrong with you?” Tori gave her knee a light nudge before getting a bottle of flavored water from the fridge and making fresh coffee.  
“Candle’s burned out,” Jade grumbled, moping as she tried again to light the wick.  
“Already? That was nearly brand new candle, it should have burned up to forty hours.” Tori was slightly amused as she set a mug on the counter and turned to study the sulking seductress.  
“Well, it’s no more.”  
“I have another upstairs that you can have.”  
The demon perked up slightly at that, “Really?”  
“Next time I go to the store, I’ll get you one of the big ones, alright?” Tori set the cup down beside her guest.  
Jade studied her curiously for a moment, picking up the mug as she tilted her head, “Thank you…” The words tasted strange on her tongue but seemed appropriate, and she washed them down with a sip of hot coffee.   
“I’m going to lie down for a while.” Tori turned and started for the stairs, only to find Jade waiting on them with an arched eyebrow.  
“What ails you, Victoria Alisha Vega?” She continued to block the girl’s path until she spoke.  
“It was just a long day at school. I have a lot on my mind. I don’t even know what’s going on with this family anymore.”  
“I could teach you things.”  
“Maybe later. I just. I need a nap right now.”  
Jade followed the student upstairs not unlike a puppy, sitting on the bed when she laid down. After a few minutes, it was the demon who found herself faced with a pouting girl.  
“Yes?”  
“Can you just lie down..? You’re warm,” Tori mumbled, cheeks warm as she peeked up from her pillow.  
A resigned sigh escaped Jade as she fought the tiny urge to smile, and she stretched herself out on the bed, allowing the clingy little vampire to cuddle up to her. Once Tori was asleep, her arm slowly wrapped around the girl, idly tracing down the bumps of her spine. She laid in silence as the brunette napped, closing her own eyes to rest them.  
Time was difficult to keep track of here, at least without practice after being away for so long. It felt like no time at all when Tori was stirring against her, and Jade opened her eyes to find the light in the room dimmer. A smirk curved her lips when she found the blushing girl realizing she’d been using the demon’s chest as a pillow.  
“Comfy there?” Jade teased, earning a playful push from her embarrassed hostess.  
“Didn’t you say you were going to teach me something?” Tori changed the subject as she sat up carefully.  
“What do you want to learn?”  
“How exactly do you and my parents know each other?”  
“That’s a long story,” Jade studied the girl beside her, remaining sprawled out like a lazy feline. "But, if that’s what you wish.“   
"Please. I want to start figuring this out,” Tori rested her head against the wall, watching the demon.  
Jade sighed and propped herself up on her elbow, turning slightly to face her audience of one. "Many, many years after I made my arrangement, as you know, I was a student of many. I met your mother’s parents while I was studying under a philosopher her father was also a student of. That was long before she was born, and her parents and I got along well enough, as there were only so many social options to explore and mingle into. We were powerful, and so we were lumped together. We learned many things from each other, and when they had your mother, they grew more withdrawn, but we kept in touch. It wasn’t until your mother was a bit older and began to learn the politics of these worlds that we truly met. She became involved with your father, a mere business rival of mine. We had an altercation, that never turned physical, but he resented me for his foolish choice and loss of power. I had a few interests at heart that differed from his, and he was young and stubborn. I had more power and connections than he did, and he picked fights. He hasn’t gotten past that stage and seems to think I care enough to be his rival. Their parents wanted yours to raise you and your sister elsewhere, with full knowledge of what you are, but they were having none of it. And here we are.“  
"That’s…a really stupid reason to keep a grudge. How am I supposed to eat people without being the next serial killer?” Tori absently played with a pale hand.  
“You aren’t eating them, just taking some blood. You will learn self control. Your parents will…attempt to teach you, I can work more easily with you in control. Once we build you up, we will add blood into the mix. It’s too dangerous to just turn you loose and have you work with your instincts. Once you learn your body and your needs, you will know when to cut yourself off. There may be deaths, but there are means of handling that.”  
Tori seemed put off by that, hesitant to change from her perception of herself to a dangerous predator. "But if you teach me control, accidents like that won’t happen?”  
"They’re much less likely to happen,” Jade affirmed, studying her.  
“When can we begin?”

“So how are we going to do this?” Tori asked softly, more relaxed that Jade had kept herself hidden upstairs during dinner instead of further provoking her parents.  
“Depends, how old are you?” Jade stretched out slowly, comfortable clothes slipping back to the leather they had first met in.  
“Eighteen. Why?”   
“Because, I’m not dealing with a child. You’re of age, and at the age where you have more hormones than sense. So if you want to learn self control,” Jade leaned forward, fingers balling in the hem of Tori’s shirt to yank her forward. The demon’s kiss was deep and heated, nails raking at her stomach under the shirt. Before Tori could regain her senses, she was being pushed onto her back and straddled, her wrists pinned down once more.   
The next time their lips connected, something thick and wet was on Jade’s lips, and before Tori could fully process it, her tongue was gliding over those full lips. A sweet, intoxicating scent hit her nostrils full force, making her head swim as the taste spread across her tongue. Her body arched up into Jade as a moan left her throat, only to be slammed back down. A low growl left the vampire, and her teeth scraped against the demon’s lips for a better taste.  
“Be a good little vampire and I’ll reward you. You can have what you want, but no biting, and no touching.” Jade’s voice was breathy and deliciously sultry, tickling her ear before their lips met once more, and Tori was treated to a stronger taste this time. The rush was stronger, her veins humming with power as strong hips rolled down against hers, and all too quickly every sensation was gone save for a faint lingering of the taste on her tongue.  
“Wha…?”  
“I said no biting,” Jade watched her with a hint of amusement in eyes dark with lust.  
“I didn’t though,” Tori whined, seeking more contact.  
“Poor little vampire… You’re going to have to do better controlling yourself than that,” Jade caressed a tan cheek, holding the teenager’s gaze.  
Tori was given tiny amounts of demon blood each time, and it took well over an hour for the amounts to build up enough to give her a rush of adrenaline and the strength to flip them over, her teeth scraping Jade’s neck without sinking in before the demon had her on her back once more. Tori was teased over and over as Jade tested her limits, and time and time again they restarted until the poor girl was trembling with need and the force of holding herself back. When she finally passed the demon’s test, Jade rewarded her with a rush of power and the feeling of lips on her throat and a strong thigh pressing between her own. Blinding pleasure made her back arch and toes curl, and full lips swallowed her scream.  
Tori sank limply into the mattress, panting as she looked up at Jade with hooded eyes, “Fuck. I think I’m going to enjoy having you around a bit more.”  
Jade chuckled, falling to lie down beside her, again in one of Tori’s shirts by the time she hit the sheets, “And just think, Victoria Alisha Vega, that was only a training session with all of your clothes on.”  
“Are you saying there will be times that aren’t training that involve no clothes?”  
“Let’s see how you play your cards before we give your parents more reason to try and skin me. Go to sleep, little vampire, you’ve done well. Positive reinforcement will get you far,” Jade’s finger threaded through brunette locks.   
“Will all blood make me feel that invincible?” Tori murmured, settling into the demon.  
“I only gave you a small taste, feeding on humans will give you a buzz around that level, and other vampires will give you a stronger one.”  
“What about if I bit you?” Tori nuzzled her face into a warm neck, acutely aware of the pulse beating beneath pale skin.  
“Demon blood is one level below god blood. There isn’t any solid proof that god blood can be attained, but demon blood will make you more powerful than anyone else on Earth. You’ll believe you can do anything, and you’ll damn near come very close. If you don’t have perfect control, and were to bite me, you’d get yourself killed within twenty four hours.”  
“So you’ll teach me how to be able to bite you one day?” Came the half asleep question. "Or I can bite you without blood.”  
Jade chuckled softly and smoothed the girl’s hair, allowing tan arms to wrap around her comfortably. She tried to ignore the amused observation that she was allowing herself to be downright domesticated here. She closed her eyes, deciding to join her companion in sleep for now.   
The next day was pretty normal for Tori at school, Cat even showing interest in coming by for a while to spend the night. After lunch, however, the redhead took a special interest in Trina, who seemed to be in a worse mood than usual. The elder sister and Beck had been bickering all day, and the ride to the Vega home for the three girls was very tense, Cat glancing at the upset girl and looking for something to say about the situation, but deciding it would be best to keep quiet instead of being snapped at.   
The girls were the only ones home, and Trina slunk off to her room to sulk in silence while Jade joined the two downstairs at the mention of pizza. Tori watched the demon and Cat interact, a bit surprised that the bubbly and talkative girl got along so well with a demon from the pits of hell, but Jade seemed to have taken a liking to her. The vampire didn’t exactly mind, appreciating the time without Jade’s attention to think about how she felt about, well, Jade’s attention. Especially after last night, she hadn’t exactly been opposed to the way Jade’s gaze traveled her and the way the velvety voice affected her, but now she began to question it all. She enjoyed spending time with Jade, and a quick glance over at her revealed that the demon was watching her with a little smirk.   
"You okay over there?” Jade smirked at her.  
“Just thinking,” Tori shook her head. "Do you want to order the pizza now?” That earned a nod, and Tori dug around in the kitchen to find a takeout menu to order from.   
"How are thinking going between you two?” Cat’s voice was innocent but quiet.  
“Fine enough. She seems to be a fast learner, not a bad student I guess.”  
“So I chose correctly this time?” Cat seemed proud of herself at that.  
“What do you mean?” Jade arched an eyebrow as she studied her companion.  
“It’s time for you to settle down. You’re hundreds of years old, and she seemed rather compatible for you,” Cat looked at her with those big innocent brown eyes.  
“Kitten, I do not need a bride,” Jade sounded stern.  
“You’re lonely,” the redhead argued, only for both to fall silent when Tori returned to the room.  
“Cat, do you want to see if Trina wants anything before we order?” The vampire sounded hopeful, practically pleading, and Cat took pity and bounded upstairs.  
Once they were alone, Jade pulled Tori down onto her lap, chuckling softly, “Why so tense? Your sister will get over it, she has no choice but to accept what she is. If she weren’t so stubborn and moody, she could be learning about your family’s history.”  
“I just have stuff on my mind. I didn’t know you were a chair,” Tori smirked, leaning back against the demon.  
“I have many titles,” Jade smirked, squeezing a warm thigh.

“Trina?” Cat tentatively knocked on the closed door, and when she wasn’t yelled at to get lost, she cautiously opened the door and slipped inside. Slowly, she approached the sprawled out form on the bed, tilting her head to one side.  
“What do you want?” The irritated grumble lacked the usual venom, and she didn’t bother looking at the younger girl.  
“Tori wanted to know what you want from the pizza place. What’s wrong?” Cat invited herself to sit on the bed with the sulking girl.  
“My parents have been lying to me my entire life. My boyfriend would be too disgusted to date some monster freak of nature, so I’m alone again, and I need to figure this shit out.”  
“You aren’t a monster,” Cat nudged her gently, studying the taller girl.   
“Cat, you don’t even know what I’m talking about,” Trina still didn’t bother lifting her head.  
“I bet that if you explain it won’t change my mind,” Cat offered, giving another nudge.  
“I don’t even know how to explain it,” Trina groaned into her pillow. “You either won’t believe me, or you’ll think I’m psycho, and I can’t even blame you because I would do the same.”  
“You don’t know that,” Cat nudged her, innocently lying down beside the older girl. “Tell me.” There was a slight whine to the command  
Trina sighed heavily, taking her sweet time before speaking. “My parents are vampires, and apparently Tori and I are too. But they never told us and they’ve been feeding us blood and they haven’t proven this is more than some delusional fucked up account of child abuse, and Tori’s too busy following the fucking demon around like a lost puppy and acting like it’s our new pet like a housecat or something.”  
Cat rubbed her back slowly, soothingly guiding her hand in steady circles. “Well, there is one easy way to find out, right?”   
“What?” Trina lifted her head and finally looked at the redhead.   
“I’m just saying. This way you know for sure, and it’s not like we have to tell anyone,” Cat smiled disarmingly. She rummaged through her bag, frowning when she didn’t find what she looked for, and wandered Trina’s room until she found something sharp enough. It was small enough, running just under her knuckle to the middle of the back of her hand, only just deep enough to bleed as she made her way back to the bed and sat down again.   
Trina watched her, both with a hint of disgust but also curiosity for this little idea. A few moments passed by, and only when she was about to open her mouth to speak did her head start to spin. She closed her eyes against the sudden lightheadedness, suddenly smelling something she couldn’t describe. The same smell had filled the air the night they summoned the demon, when Beck had cut himself. Carefully, she opened her eyes to find the hand right in front of her face, Cat’s eyes soft and face calm when they briefly met. The redhead was given a front row seat to the brown of Trina’s eyes swallowed by her pupils before the older girl’s hand was on her wrist, a firm yet somehow light grip as her tongue slowly followed the line of blood. A shudder ran down her spine, and before her mind registered what her body was doing, Trina had Cat pinned to the mattress with extended fangs against her skin. The fangs weren’t terribly long, they only seemed to protrude a bit more than the other teeth, and somewhere deep within the primal instinct that had taken over, the girl was simply happy she didn’t look like a goddamn saber tooth tiger. The fangs rested on soft skin, threatening to break it as she fought with this new side of herself, not wanting to just turn the redhead into a juice box.  
Despite facing very real danger, a soft giggle left Cat, and much to Trina’s shock, she rolled them over, hovering a few inches above the taller girl. “Now we know. But buy me dinner first before next time,” she teased with a grin.   
Even though she rolled her eyes, a soft chuckle left the other girl. Anger rolled in her chest at the sudden deprivation, but what she viewed as her humanity sent relief through her that she had been stopped before she attacked the smaller girl. Her smile slowly fell, however, the amusement leaving her face. “So I guess they weren’t lying… Which means I know nothing about what I am, or what I’m supposed to be. I have to break up with Beck. He can’t find out I’m some kind of bloodthirsty monster, he can’t even handle the fucking demon.”   
Cat felt her heart race with something close to panic when she found dark eyes tearing up, and she threw herself against her companion, arms wrapping tightly around her. “You have time to figure everything out. You aren’t a monster, monsters are scary. Well sometimes you’re scary but that’s usually when you’re yelling at people or beating someone up. Beck is a jerk. If he’s mean to you, yell at him.” She didn’t earn a verbal response, only the older girl wrapping her arms around her hesitantly but tightly, burying her face into Cat’s shoulder. 

“Wonder what’s taking so long up there,” Tori murmured, relaxing beside Jade on the couch.   
“I don’t know. You said she’s been having a shitty couple of days, maybe they’re talking about what’s going on.” Jade offered a shrug, not too worried as she stretched her legs out before resting them on Tori’s lap softly.   
“Maybe…” Tori didn’t sound so sure. “You going to be bothered if Cat spends the night?”   
“It’s your house, why would I be?” Jade arched an eyebrow.   
“I don’t know. I figured I would ask.” Tori sounded slightly defensive, and Jade turned her head to study her.   
“Just order the food and stuff you know she likes.”   
It took the phone call and a good ten minutes of television after for Tori to turn to Jade again, careful with her words as she smoothed a wrinkle from her jeans. “Can I try something I’ve been thinking about?”  
The question piqued Jade’s interest, making her head tilt slightly as she inclined her head in a nod. “Go on,” she said simply, not exactly worried for whatever was to come.   
Almost as soon as the words were out of her mouth, Tori leaned closer and pressed the sweetest little soft kiss to the demon’s lips. She lingered just long enough for Jade’s eyes to close before she retreated into the kitchen with bright cheeks. Jade’s eyes opened slowly, brow furrowing at the loss of her little vampire as she stood slowly and sauntered off after her.   
“Well? How was your little sample?” Jade leaned against the wall in the kitchen, watching the girl rummage through the refrigerator.   
“It. It was nice,” Tori stammered out, cheeks still embarrassingly warm for something so simple but she felt like a dumb cheesy teenager in a bad movie.   
Jade moved closer, resting a hand on the counter as the door to the fridge was finally closed, “So why not get a better taste?” Her voice was soft but her lips were firm when they laid claim to Tori’s. She lingered much longer than Tori had, fingers threading through brunette locks to keep the girl close. It was the arrival of their food that separated them, though neither moved for a moment, contemplating the other.  
Jade watched the other girl answer the door, collecting their food and paying the delivery boy, whose gave lingered too long and made the demon scowl darkly as she sauntered over. Much to his benefit, however, Tori closed the door before Jade could reach them, turning to pass the boxes off to Jade so she could go get some plates. Jade found herself with more boxes than she cared to hold, but she spread them out on the coffee table, stomach growling at the smell of food. She took it upon herself to head upstairs to fetch the other two, Tori still faintly on her lips. She wasn’t opposed to being courted, but at her age, it all felt a bit tedious. These days, however, seemed to be different from her own youth, and she did have to begrudgingly admit to herself that the vampire did deserve a certain measure of being spoiled.  
Upon reaching the older sister’s room, Jade stepped into the doorway, finding the pair holding each other on the bed. Arching an eyebrow, she rapped her knuckles on the doorframe, “Food’s here.” With that, she turned before she had to deal with their reactions to being seen, and made her way down to the food in question.  
Trina released Cat, cheeks warm with both embarrassment and indignation at being caught in such a compromising position. The redhead didn’t seem to mind any, simply giving her a warm smile as she stood up, “Let’s go eat.” She took Trina’s hand and practically dragged the older girl to the door.  
“You go on, I’ll be right down,” Trina said, prompting her companion to release her so she could go to the bathroom while Cat wandered downstairs. The redhead looked around as she reached the living room, hiding a smile when she found the other two sharing a couch. She sat herself on the other one, taking a plate and helping herself to one of the open boxes of pizza.  
“So you two seem to be getting along,” Cat observed with an innocent smile.  
“No worse than you and Trina seem to be hitting it off,” Jade answered casually, her arm unmoving from around Tori’s shoulders.   
“What do you mean by that?” Tori didn’t lift her head from Jade’s shoulder as she took a large bite of pizza.   
“She was just upset and we were talking,” Cat met Jade’s eyes and shook her head slightly. Sheepishly, she turned the television on to change the subject away from herself. It wasn’t that she was ashamed the topic came up, she just wanted to avoid the crush she had had on the older girl for some time now. While she did feel bad that Trina was so upset over this new development and how Beck was most likely to handle it, she couldn’t help but feel a little spark of hope that maybe she had a chance to give Trina something better. As if the older girl had heard her thoughts, Trina came down and joined her on the couch, helping herself to some of the food without a word.  
Silence fell over them, Trina’s sudden lack of desire to talk about something, even something as insignificant as an annoyance during school due to the weather, sobering the mood. The four watched the television, Tori nestling contently against her demon as they ate, the food hot and tasty. She stole quick glances at her sister, finding Cat had moved to be beside her in an offer of silent support. It took some effort and time for her to finally break the silence with a question directed toward her sister.  
“Are you alright? You seem a bit off.”  
Trina tried to be calm as she met her sister’s gaze, but seeing her little sister snuggled up to the demon that ruined their peaceful lives of deception made her annoyance spike. "Well it must be nice to take everything in so casually, Tori. It’s like you don’t even care that you’ve been lied to your whole life, and had blood mixed into your diet as if it’s just some Italian seasoning, just because you can explore your sexuality with the demon that dropped all of this on us. How can you not care about all of this?”  
Before Jade could make a comment further proving herself to be a smartass, Tori was speaking and working to calm her sibling. “Trina, I do care. But rejecting all of it isn’t going to change that it’s true. Yeah, what mom and dad did is pretty messed up, but we have to accept it. All we can do is try and learn what all of this means.”   
Trina rolled her eyes at that, “It means that while you get yourself in the middle of the demon we summoned with our stupid friends, my boyfriend is going to flip shit about the two of us being bloodthirsty monsters.”  
Jade interjected then, picking at her nails, “Not much of a loss there. He seems like a dick anyway. Annoying as hell.”  
“I don’t recall asking for your input,” Trina eyed her, stiffening slightly as Cat leaned closer to her. The whisper was low enough that only the older Vega heard it, leaving two intrigued parties on the other couch.  
“It’s Beck’s loss if he wants to be a jerk about it. You’re still amazing, and once you figure this out, there will probably be some stuff you can do you’ll think is cool.”  
Perhaps it was the soft voice, or maybe even the sweet words, but Trina relented for the time being, stony silence falling over them again. For the most part, Trina was left to herself for the rest of the evening, none of the others really wanting to further push the issue with her. Tori and Cat mainly decided on the activities, varying from hunting down some music videos to talk about, to discussing projects they needed to work on together for school, and finally settling in to watch a few movies as dusk settled. It was barely even an hour after dark when Jade sat bolt upright from where she’d been lounging beside Tori, a slow, downright sinister smirk curving her lips and her slitted pupils becoming more prominent.  
“Work calls, dear heart, I’ll be back in a while,” the demon purred before vanishing in a wispy trail of red smoke, leaving behind a confused Tori and moderately amused Cat.  
The redhead turned to her hostess, offering a small smile, “So how are you handling all of this?”  
Tori turned to fully face her, propping her head up on her hand, “Honestly, I don’t even know. It’s confusing, obviously, but it’s a little exciting too, you know? It’s a chance to learn about my family history better than I would have otherwise, and maybe it’ll give me a bit of an advantage in the world. I guess it’s different for me because I just ask Jade to teach me things and don’t have to worry about someone I love getting freaked out just because of this new thing.”  
“As long as you’re doing okay. Are you worried about Trina? Things got kind of tense down there.”  
“I’m more worried about how she’s handling this than her lashing out. I don’t blame her for stressing out about Beck, he wasn’t exactly tolerant of Jade, and I don’t know that I’d expect him to be different about this.” A frown tugged at her lips as she studied Cat, “Did she tell you anything when you were talking to her earlier?”   
Cat considered the question, and her words, carefully before speaking, “She’s just having a rough time accepting it all. You have a more positive attitude than she does, and she’s worried about losing Beck. She could do much better if she has to worry about him being spiteful and seeing her as a monster, but I guess that isn’t my business…”   
“Do you think she’ll be okay?” Tori asked softly.   
“I’ll go check on her in a little bit. Until she calms down, maybe I’ll a bit more luck than you.” Cat offered a small smile, hoping her friend didn’t take offense in any way.  
“If you can figure her out, go ahead,” was all Tori had to say.

When Tori dozed off after another movie and a half, and a lot of convincing that Jade was a grown demon and could take care of herself and would be back soon enough, Cat silently made her exit. She wandered down the hall back to Trina’s room, gently knocking on the door and waiting a few seconds before opening it. The room was dark, the television not even offering light, and it took a couple moments for her eyes to adjust so she could make out the bundle on the bed. Slowly, she stepped inside, closing the door softly behind her and making her way to the bed. The softest of sniffles hurt the redhead’s heart, and she sat on a corner of the mattress.  
“Trina? What’s wrong?”  
“I didn’t have a choice,” her voice was quiet and almost small, “I had to break up with him now before he found out.”  
Cat’s hand dipped under the sheets, finding Trina’s arm and trailing down to take her hand. “I’m sorry. Do you want to talk about it?”  
"No,” Trina mumbled, curling up tighter with her blankets.  
Cat gently nudged her, “Don’t be sad. It’ll be okay.” She held her free hand out, palm up and fingers closed. For a moment, her eyes edged to a more red color before tiny sparks floated up from her palm like little burning pieces of glitter that fizzled out after they rose a couple inches. “Beck can’t do this,” she offered half-playfully.   
Trina’s full attention was on the younger girl now as she processed what was happening. She couldn’t really see Cat’s face but the sparks offered tiny glimmers of light. “How the fuck…?”  
Cat felt her cheeks warm up, suddenly nervous, “I’m kind of like you I guess. I mean, I’m not a vampire but…”  
“What are you?” Trina was decidedly open to this, taking comfort in not being alone in this strange, strange world of myths and legends that she hadn’t known existed until very recently.  
“A hellhound…”  
When Jade returned to the bedroom, her entire body sung with power, her eyes bright and a sated smirk on her lips. She stalked over to the little vampire, up for another training session since their other guest didn’t seem to be in the room. The demon paused when she looked down and found the girl asleep, her face peaceful and lips gently parted. Slowly, her thumb stroked the little vampire’s lower lip, making the girl stir with a sleepy smile, moving a little to make room before going right back to sleep. A soft chuckle left Jade, and she sat down on the bed, sending the small jar in her hand into a safer storage place before changing into more tolerable clothes and joining her girl under the sheets. Lazily, an arm wound around Tori’s waist, encouraging the sleeping girl to nestle in, and she kissed the top of the brunette’s head lightly in silent bids of goodnight before settling in to rest.


	3. A Small Pre-Date

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The girls go to the mall and a movie, while Trina and Cat find the dynamics of their relationship shifting.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I may be slow with the next update, my mental illness has been hitting really hard. I apologize.

Tori awoke to the smell of coffee and a hot breakfast, and she slowly uncurled from where she’d been cuddled up with her pillow to find Jade leaning over her, holding mug and plate. A slow smile curved her lips, and she rubbed at her eyes before carefully sitting up, “What’s the occasion?”  
“Wasn’t tired, didn’t want to wake you up and play twenty sleepy questions,” Jade shrugged, stealing a sip of the coffee before sitting on the bed, carefully setting the plate on her vampire’s lap.   
“Well, thank you. Where’s Cat, I don’t see her in here?”  
“Last I saw, in your sister’s room. They’re probably still asleep,” Jade stretched out on the bed, tucking her legs under the sheets.  
“Wonder if everything is okay. So what's up with you?” Tori nudged her companion’s side lightly as she started eating. "You seem oddly…chipper? Very pleased with yourself, and I doubt it’s just because you made breakfast. You’re practically glowing and your eyes..."  
"My eyes?” A smirk accompanied the question. "What about my eyes, dear heart?” Jade leaned in closer, her words tickling a soft cheek that was gradually turning red.  
"Nothing. Anyway, where did you go last night? You were gone a few hours, I was starting to worry.”  
Jade paused at that, brow furrowing, “You,” she started, “were worried about me? The demon who could have killed you all in the blink of an eye that night you decided to summon me.”  
“Even demons can get in trouble,” Tori turned to meet the puzzled gaze beside her. "Right? I mean even if, in theory, you’re invincible, someone who knew what they were doing could still mess you up, couldn’t they?”  
Silence met the question for a few moments, Jade trying to process what was being said. "Well, yeah. Technically anything is killable, there’s always a loophole. But why were you worried?”  
The question seemed to fluster Tori, and instead, she gave the demon another nudge, “So what were you up to that has you positively glowing today?”  
“There was a summons last night. Normally it wouldn’t matter too much but certain circumstances change things. Anyway, work called so I had to go. A group of teenagers, much drunker than you all had been, made a trade with me.”   
“For?”  
“Fame, riches, the usual petty shit.”  
“And you got?”  
“Their souls.”  
“Which means?” Tori studied her, carefully weighing this information. The past week had given her plenty of time to try and figure out what exactly Jade’s nature entailed, and given her own newfound situation, who was she to say how Jade went about her business?  
“Well, it varies from demon to demon. The constant is that with each soul collect, we gain power. To put it how you’ll understand, remember the rush you get when I allow you to bite me or sample some of my blood?” At the answering nod, she continued, “It’s like that. Some absorb the soul as part of their own power, others, myself included, save them for other purposes. Half the time, their soul is already a hollowed out husk of what they could have been and we just remove it without them even realizing.”  
“What kind of purposes?” Tori’s hand found Jade’s, their fingers interlocking after a moment.  
“Many things. One of which we’ll cover in one of your lessons much later on. Until then, what are we doing today?” Jade settled against the blankets, making herself comfortable as she studied Tori.  
“If you want, you can come to the store with me later. I don’t really have anything planned, I was hoping you could tell me more about all of this and we could just pick up with the information you’ve been giving me.”  
“Provided your parents don’t try and bite my face off again, I think something could be arranged," Jade gave a slight nod as she lounged with her vampire, watching her with hooded eyes.   
"Didn't know you were intimidated by them," Tori teased with a grin as she pushed dark hair out of Jade’s face. "What did you mean just then, about the souls?"  
"It's complicated, I guess," Jade shrugged, rolling over to lie on her stomach, propped up with her elbows. "Every species uses their soul differently, some have no use for them at all and go without them as if nothing changed. Humans can become corrupted more easily than others, because they don't rely on their soul to survive anymore. They've evolved in such a way that now, in more instances than either of us care to count, many don't even use them. Really, the human soul is only ever used for passions and religion. Given this world and its cruelties, both are growing scarcer. So, it isn't unheard of to be summoned by an addict who needs just one more fix and sold their soul long ago without knowing it. Or someone will do anything to get to the top and trade their soul without a second thought."  
Tori was silent as she mulled it over, absently threading her fingers through black hair as she contemplated the information. "So what do you do with them? Can you still use them after that point?"  
The demon’s hands were gently enveloped by a thin layer of smoke until a small jar materialized between them, the contents faintly glowing green. "Everything can be used. If you have the patience and skill, you can nurture it back to a healthy state for stronger uses."  
"Why's it green?"  
"Auras. Everyone has an aura. Just think of it this way for now; every living thing has its own energy, and that energy has a color. Anyway, some use them to strengthen a weapon or belonging, others use them towards their own power or rituals of various types." With a wave of her hand, the jar was gone again, and Tori had a new question for her.  
"So if you won't tell me what you use them for, what do demons use their own souls for?" The slight frown she received at that question implied she had struck a nerve, and mentally she tried to back-peddle out of it.  
"I suppose that also varies. There are true demons, born with demon blood in their veins, and there are made demons. Made demons," Jade paused, rolling off the bed and standing on the soft carpeting to pace around as she continued, "Are in one of two subcategories. There are made by deal, in which they trade not only their soul but their servitude, and there are made by circumstance." Before Tori could ask another question, the other was continuing on. "The servitude, depends heavily on the demon the individual bargained with, but after the first two or three decades, moves from servitude to apprenticeship to learn to earn their own keep. Many weaker willed individuals find trouble passing those stages and are either liquidated or remain in a servant class. Circumstance, however, is a very curious thing." Finally, she stopped pacing to lean against the dresser, seemingly lost in thought.  
Tori gave her a few moments to herself before trying to encourage her to continue, "How so?"  
It took a moment, but Jade glanced over at her again, "It is very much a topic of study. Even the oldest demons don't fully understand how it works, and have taken to showing up when it happens to try and study it. However the universe works, this one, anyway, something happens within that individual that triggers a change in their very genetic coding. Regardless of how one becomes a demon, they are granted a trial period to learn to exhibit self control. It weeds out a few of the more unsavory candidates, who generally end up dead within a month." She left Tori with the information as she busied herself with poking around the well-stocked bookshelves.   
The brunette remained silent as she took in the new information, absorbing it in the event it could be of use later. She wanted to ask where in all of that Jade fell into place, but she didn't want to dig too deep too quickly. The topic of names entered her thoughts, but again, perhaps that was a topic for another time. Instead, she chose a safer topic, watching the taller girl rummage through her literary collection.   
"Anything catch your eye over there?"  
"I didn't expect to find much Shakespeare casually owned in this generation. I'm aware your educations demand it, but, it's a bit much for a man who had the sense of humor a teenage boy now has. Man could hardly keep the dick jokes and random nonsense contained as he was, let alone when you got some beer in him."  
"Are you telling me you got William Shakespeare drunk?" The vampire raised an eyebrow, clearly not taking this at face value.   
"Oh I wouldn't phrase it that way," Jade waved a dismissive hand, "we shared a few drinks and discussions once."  
Tori only stared at her, not sure exactly what to make of this new information. She shook her head and finished her coffee, rising to leave a kiss on a pale cheek before venturing off to find her sister. 

Trina found herself in the morning with an arm around the smaller redhead, and slowly stretched out before leaving the bed, not thinking too much of it. Slinking out of the room to shower, she dug her phone from the pocket of her shorts and skimmed over the notifications. Beck weighed heavily on her mind, and she didn't open those new texts just yet, not ready for the possibilities of what could be waiting for her. Without having given him a real reason for their breakup, she felt a bit bad for him, and didn't exactly blame him for wanting to talk, but it wasn't that simple. She gave Tori a distracted mumble when she passed her in the hallway, trying to remind herself of the reasons cutting things off with Beck was imperative. Given that little test the previous day and the confirmation of her identity, she knew he wouldn't cope well. She wasn't exactly fond of Jade in the beginning, and still wasn't too pleased with her, and look how she was handling the news.  
While the elder Vega showered, Tori gently woke Cat to offer her breakfast. When asked about the previous night, Cat simply said Trina had needed some cheering up, and dug into her pancakes with the famished hunger of a wild dog. Jade hovered near the coffee maker, as she often did in her time downstairs, studying the redhead silently from across the room but not speaking in front of Tori.   
"Is Trina doing alright?" Tori finally broke the silence between them all, glancing to the stairs before focusing on the redhead.   
"She'll be okay. If you want I'll see if she wants to do something today to keep her mind off things. I have a few chores to do, so I need to head home soon, but maybe later we can meet up."  
"Maybe even the four of us can do something," Tori offered a soft smile. 

Jade found that she didn't much care for the mall. It wasn't so much the trip itself as all the people there that she decidedly was against, but she kept her distaste to herself so she didn't spoil the vampire's outing. She was rewarded for her silent suffering when the first stop they made was revealed to be a small coffee shop inside the establishment. Tori’s hand hadn't released hers since they left the car, and that was no exception. The vampire gave her order, opting for some kind of cappuccino that only moderately intrigued Jade before the demon was ordering a latte with a double shot of espresso and a pump of raspberry syrup. The vampire gave her a curious look, but smiled to herself at the bliss settling into the demon’s features at the first sip.  
In a much better mood now, Jade cradled her cup as they walked together, looking around and just letting Tori lead her through the mall. Their first stop was a media store, the brunette carefully picking her way through isles and skimming through rows of video games.   
"What are you looking for?"  
"Sometimes Trina and I play video games together, maybe a new game will get her mind off things, even if she just plays it with Cat when they hang out."  
"What kind of game?"   
"Usually some kind of first person shooter does the job," Tori shrugged as she skimmed through titles. The demon did her best to help, but mainly just left the task to Tori since the girl seemed to know what she was looking for. Instead, she familiarized herself with the store, poking around and finding a handful of interesting little things but nothing particularly relevant to her wants. The next time she checked on Tori, the other girl was at the counter with a few cases, and she made her way back to the brunette, silently settling beside her again as the vampire paid for her entertainment and they shuffled away to the next venture.  
The rest of their excursion was uneventful, the vampire dotingly buying her companion a few more candles to burn, and her companion disappearing for a few minutes before they reunited again to slip into a bookstore. Unfortunately for Tori, she'd made the mistake of nodding to a few history books and making an offhanded comment about how accurate they were, and was treated to Jade verbally revising them to her until she could drag the demon away to find some other literature for them to look through with only minimal grumbling about the fiction section being passed off as history. The demon was pacified when she found a flyer taped to a wall near the restrooms about a special event showing at the theater.   
"What's this?" Jade reached out to blindly tap at the vampire, gently tugging her over.  
"I guess they're doing a reboot of some old movie but instead of a replacement it's supposed to be a sequel. I don't know, I never heard much about it and never even saw the first one."  
"Seriously? How? Even I've seen the first one. I was so excited when it came out, you have no idea... Christ, Victoria, it was like nothing you've ever seen," Jade’s fingertips grazed the lettering. "The acting was phenomenal. Someone actually died on set."  
"Well if you're so enamored with it, we can go watch, I'm sure they have a showing sometime soon," Tori squeezed her hand with a smile as she watched her companion.   
"No, I won't force you to watch it. If you were interested in it you would have seen it before now. Besides, technology and people have changed so much since then you'll probably find it stupid," Jade said, shaking her head.   
Tori chuckled softly, giving her a light tug as she took out her phone to check the show times, "Come on. We'll look around some more and then head over. Sound good? If the show is as good as you say, I'm sure I'll enjoy it." She led her girl off to another section of the store, trying to get a feel for Jade’s literary tastes.  
They left with a small bag and a couple books, returning to the car so they could catch the movie. Despite Jade’s protest at the price, Tori grabbed them some popcorn and soda before navigating to their theater. Not very surprisingly, there were only a handful of other people present for their movie, which seemed to irk the demon a tad. Jade curled herself against the seat and picked grumpy at the popcorn. Tori soothed the irate being until the film started, finding that then Jade was captivated by nostalgia of the movie. The demon leaned forward in her seat, eyes wide as saucers as she stared at the screen. Tori hid a smile and slowly relaxed against her companion, who wrapped an arm around her shoulders.   
"Back in the day I knew every line to this... But the scene coming up is where someone died, there was a malfunction and casualty."  
"Really?" Tori murmured, stealing some popcorn and listening to Jade’s murmured commentary. The movie was better than she had expected if she was honest. Mostly, she just watched the demon enjoy a reminder from her past, and kept close to Jade’s warm body, playing gently with her fingers. The movie didn't last nearly long enough for either girl, and Jade didn't move for a while after the credits rolled, just remaining seated with her little vampire until the lights came on. Tori coaxed her date up onto her feet and led her outside with a soft smile. 

Unfortunately for them all, the Vega parents were home when they met back up with Cat and Trina at the house. Jade elected to watch the others play a video game on the couches, exchanging glares with David from the kitchen. The man's wife kept him mostly behaved, though it was clear that the two had some animosity between them. Tori gave the demon the occasional nudge to remind her not to provoke the older vampires, though the real problem came from Trina when she finally addressed Jade directly.   
"So, when are you actually teaching something useful again?"  
Jade’s gaze left the screen, intrigued enough to sit up and lean forward, "Depends. You asking to be nosey or are you a prospective student?"  
"Well, if no one else is going to educate me, I suppose you'll do," Trina tried not to seem too interested.   
"Whenever the two of you are ready then," Jade shrugged, hiding a smirk at the faint bitching she heard from the kitchen.   
"Victoria, I have told you I do not want you listening to the nonsense that hell spawn spouts," David warned.  
"You know what?" Jade’s smirk widened, "Why don't we begin now?" She stood and rolling smoke was the only warning before a large, glass writing board appeared. Picking up the marker, she scrawled a few words on the board. "For our dear, dear new students, we'll have a brief review. You delightful little late fang-growers, are in the living category. You're alive, you have souls, and you can go into the sun and holy places of worship with no suffering."  
"So what limitations do we have?" Trina stretched her legs out. "Is any of the crap from legends applicable to us now?"  
"Patience," Jade waved a hand in her direction, tuning out whatever David was saying. "Given your suppressed instincts, you don't have your full strength or speed. When you're on the diet you were meant to live on, you'll experience your full potential. The real fun tidbit," Jade wrote five names on the board, "is your lineage. You're downright royals, fangface."  
"Wait what?"  
"Vampires run this city, thing of vampires as the underground mob. You were born into a very influential family. Mommy and daddy haven't risen to the occasion to play politics but soon they aren't going to have a choice, and-"  
"Enough!" David barked from the kitchen, voice booming.   
After that night, things only grew tenser and the Vega sisters grew more curious. School was a welcome distraction for them, and Tori was left to face Beck while Trina strategically avoided him. She couldn't answer his questions, which in turn only agitated him more, and led to demands of her to talk to Trina for him. The girl in question found herself quickly bonding to Cat to further keep herself away from Beck until she could figure it all out herself. The redhead had been surprisingly understanding through it all and offering to spend more and more time together to keep her mind off things. Trina found her opinion of the girl changing the more they played video games together and went to the mall or for sushi and karaoke. Overly perky and annoying became endearingly optimistic and perhaps attentive. As the days passed the two only seemed to grow closer, and the others in their little group seemed to be noticing, especially when politely turning Robbie down involved plans with Trina. Whenever Beck tried to investigate, however, the redhead would shrug it off as Trina helping her with some personal stuff.   
Their dynamic changed, however, a gradual shift Trina couldn't describe. The tears and loneliness seemed hard to shake, but the shorter girl sweetly coaxed her away from her insecurities to soothe her and let her think it all through to ponder if she had made the right choice. The beginning of their change was when she invited Cat to spend the night, which ended in a gentle kiss to Trina’s cheek. The older girl didn't move her from her bed, even wrapping an arm slowly around her when she thought Cat was asleep. A few days later, Trina reclined on the couch with Cat in her lap during Jade’s lesson, and while both the demon and Tori noticed, neither commented just yet. It wasn't until Jade accidentally witnessed their first kiss that she struck.  
The demon had been waiting in the kitchen, a little bat atop the fridge, to scare Trina, but was instead granted a front row view to Cat’s disappointed announcement that she had to head home. The taller girl wasn't pleased with the news, but simply bid her a goodnight, stepping closer to kiss her cheek, only for Cat to stop her, meeting dark eyes for long moments before pressing the most delicate of kisses to full lips. Jade was both pleased and a bit irritated, but waited for the two to separate before gliding down to hit the floor as her natural form, effectively making both girls scream at the small heart attack.   
"Given this new development, I think it's time the four of us go somewhere nice. Call it a double-date, if you will. Cat, you know the place, used to be owned by Piscary."  
"That Italian place?" Cat smiled at that, clearly excited by the prospect of taking Trina there.   
"That would be it. How about, mmm.... Saturday evening?"  
"Friday works better if that's okay. Oh...but will they be too busy?"  
"Oh, Kitten, you forget the blood there. We will have a table."  
"Excuse me," Trina interrupted. "Why are we planning a double-date just like this?"  
"Because after finally getting over that floppy haired ignorant oaf, you could use a proper date, and I've been meaning to take Tori out but she's been fussing over you." Jade watched the vampire, "So are we at an agreement or not? You won't be paying a dime and the food is easily the best around."  
"I've never been there..." Trina turned her focus to Cat, "If you want to go, I'll go."  
"Let me buy you dinner," Cat smiled ever so sweetly and stole a kiss before scampering off to head home, the elder Vega following to walk her to her car.   
Jade smiled to herself as she made her way back upstairs and to Tori’s room, stalking up behind the seated girl and wrapping an arm around her chest, "Prepare yourself, dear heart. Friday we have a date with your sister and Cat."  
"Wait, what?"


	4. Date Night

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I finally give you the double date you've been waiting over a month for.

Friday came and when Tori came home from school, she kept to herself, shrugging off the demon’s attempts at seeing what was wrong. "I just want to lie down for a while. I'll set an alarm so I wake up on time for later if I fall asleep."  
"If you're not up to it, we can go another time," Jade hovered by the door as her companion sat on the bed.  
"No, I want to go. I just... I don't want to deal with anything right now. You know?" Her voice was soft, and a tired and frustrated air clung to her. The demon just nodded and offered a thin smile, stepping forward to hold the blankets back for Tori to slip under them and get comfortable. Shortly after brown eyes closed, she heard the window being opened and a gentle breeze met her cheeks before the bed dipped and something small was nudging its way under the covers with her. One eye opened to investigate, finding the jet black bunny digging at the blanket until she helped by lifting it. The bunny then proceeded to gently hop under the little tent created and snuggle up to her chest before flopping down, little body stretched out so the soft fur on her head rested against Tori’s chin. Gently, the vampire held the creature, burying her face in soft fur for long moments as emotional exhaustion brought on sleep.  
When Tori awoke, the bunny was still cuddled up to her. Silencing the alarm on her phone, a little smile appeared on her lips, "You didn't have to stay, you know." The bunny blinked up at her and softly head-butted her chin, otherwise remaining stretched out on the bed with her. Tori ran her fingers over mesmerizingly soft fur, lingering in bed a while longer before deciding to start getting ready for their night out.  
"Do you want the shower first?" She asked Jade as she grabbed a few things to take with her.  
The answer was slightly delayed by the time needed for shapeshifting, but it came soon enough; "No, go ahead. I'm going to shower at my humble abode, that's where my clothes are anyway."  
"I still don't understand how you can come and go as you please without being stuck there again."  
"To put it simply for now, your little group freed me of limitations made for your protection. I'll be back shortly," Jade said almost dismissively as she rose, meeting Tori for a quick but sweet kiss before the brunette slipped out to get ready. Jade made her own leave then, slipping away to the world of the demons, and, more specifically, her little dwelling. It was nothing like the house she'd lived in while a human, and perhaps that was what she liked about it.  
Shedding her clothes, she made her way to the luxurious bathroom she had indulged in. The shower water was hot, reminding her of the harsh suns outside, but the cold was a bother, and the heat soothed her muscles and relaxed her some. She wasn't nervous, or at least she didn't think she was. Their date was something she had been planning for weeks now, and perhaps anticipation was the right word for what coiled and uncoiled in her stomach like an agitated kraken. It didn't help that the girl was turning her soft, big bad demon a cute little bunny half the time, but she tried to ignore that as well. As she massaged shampoo into her hair, she allowed her mind to settle on Tori more so than the date. She had seen many sides of the vampire already, especially when it came to their little private lessons on self control. Despite their little banter and playful flirting, a lesson had yet to involve the removable of anything but a shirt, perhaps testing both of their resolves. Jade knew that times had changed since she was a teenager, but there still remained something nice in taking a young woman out on a date.  
Tori was...well, soft. Jade wasn't entirely sure what she did in school or outside it, but she felt muscles tense under her touch and she suspected she detected the faintest trace of abs. That could, however, be due to if Tori followed her sister's training in martial arts. Her skin was soft, though, and her hair was some sort of silky sin. Perhaps the Vegas were mixing more blood into their diets, warming their daughters to the idea. They'd have to do something soon though, Jade could only teach them so much without them fully understanding their instincts from experiencing them. Perhaps the upcoming week she could take them out on a little hunt. Tori would argue against a human for now, so an animal quarry would have to do, while she didn't exactly look forward to it. Trina would be the biggest obstacle but maybe Cat was helping her accept this mess.  
Jade shook her head, wrapping up her shower and being conscious of how much time she was taking. It didn't really matter, time passed differently here than it did in Tori’s world, but keeping a schedule was reassuring somehow. She allowed herself the annoyance of preparing by hand, using minimal magic to sweep through it all. The restaurant was difficult to describe, but one of her favorite places. It didn't exist in her world, so it wasn't a very frequent trip, but there was old, old blood in the place, even after the change in ownership. It wasn't very casual, or at least the dining wasn't. The pizza was made on a mostly carry out basis, and there was no official dress code, but one was expected of the patrons to a certain degree.  
The demon buttoned her deep crimson blouse, smoothing the soft fabric against her skin before donning the silky black vest. A low, lazy hum left her as she smoothed out the jacket and fixed her pants, carrying the former out to the kitchen area with her. From the little fridge came a strawberry that she sliced up and set into a bowl with a bit of blood to feed her familiar while she was out despite the little bugger hiding away somewhere. Once her hands were again clean, she hooked her fingers into the tag of her jacket and rested it over her shoulder, making the trip back to a certain vampire's bedroom.  
Tori made her way downstairs, clad in a simple but nice shirt and her darkest jeans, finding her sister on the couch. She made her way over to sit beside her, "You look nice," she offered with a small smile, wanting to ask questions but not sure if Trina was ready for them. Her sister seemed to take a similar approach, dressing comfortably with a cream colored shirt that offered flowy sleeves.  
"You too. So you and your demon are finally going on a date," Trina sounded a tad amused. "Won't that affect your teacher-student relationship?"  
"Shut up," Tori laughed. "You say it like you aren't going on a date too. How have you be-"  
Before she could finish her question, there was a knock on the door. Trina left her on the couch, pulling open the heavy oak to reveal Cat, the redhead smiling a bit shyly and looking too adorable in a nice sundress. Trina didn't even get a chance to comment before Cat pulled her outside, pressing flowers into her hand out there so she wouldn't be embarrassed by Tori’s commentary. The taller girl smiled, stealing a little kiss before her gaze settled on the flowers again for a moment.  
"You're amazing. I don't think even Beck ever got me flowers."  
"Well, I try. You look really nice. Are you hungry?"  
While the two were left to their own small talk and butterflies, Tori’s chance to innocently eavesdrop was taken away when she heard footsteps on the stairs. Glancing over, she wasn't entirely sure how she felt when Jade came into view. She knew how to appreciate a girl in a suit, but she hadn't had the opportunity to picture Jade in one, and the sight was contradictory. The suit was nothing short of formal elegance, but the top buttons undone and the mane of black hair accompanied by an untied tie lurking under her collar gave a casual element to it all. Tori felt many things at the sight, a hint of pride she couldn't explain, something warm and squishy, her thighs press together, but most of all, the poor vampire felt very underdressed.  
"You look...wow. I should really go change."  
"You don't have to, dear heart, you look lovely," Jade’s voice hit her ears like grey silk.  
"No, I don't mind. I don't want to seem so... casual beside you," Tori smiled, unable to resist a kiss on her way past the demon, who still had her coat slung over her shoulder. This time it was Jade’s turn to wait downstairs, and she made herself comfortable in the living room until the other two came back inside.  
"Well someone dressed up," Trina remarked, eyebrows raising.  
"It's a bit of a fancy place," Cat squeezed Trina's hand on her way over to the demon. With a practiced ease, she tied the demon's tie, glancing to her date when she spoke.  
"Should I get changed?"  
"No, you look great. It's not black tie and dinner gown formal."  
"Nice shirt. Reminds me of those flowy pirate ones in the movies," Jade said, not without sincerity as she tucked her tie under her vest. "You'll be fine, but if you're that worried, just throw on a nice skirt and you'll blend right in."  
"From the one in a suit."  
"I cannot help if I enjoy dressing for the occasion I get to take a girl out."  
Trina shook her head, but said nothing more on the topic, instead asking Cat more about the place while they waited. When Tori came back down, in one of her lovely dresses from a school event or dance, it was the demon’s turn to be at a loss for words. The vampire was, in a word, stunning. The dress was silver, positively gleaming in the light, and while it wasn't revealing, it did give delicious glimpses of smooth skin. Jade moved to the bottom of the stairs to kiss a tan cheek, still gathering the words to say.  
"How do I look?" Tori smiled, having a hint of the effect she was having.  
"Ravishing," Jade put on her coat and extended a hand, "ready to go?"  
At the vampire's nod, the little group left. Cat and Trina sat in the front of the latter's car, the redhead gently taking the older girl's hand to softly play with her fingers. In the backseat, Tori relaxed against the demon, Jade's arm around her shoulders as they watched the world pass outside. The ride seemed far too short, but hungry bellies were grateful when they arrived at their destination, pouring out of the car to take the place in. The outside was magnificent, awnings offering shelter from the late day's sunlight and a door to the side marked for carry out orders. Jade didn't give them too long to look, however, leading the other three inside and giving her name to the host.  
"West, reservation for four."  
"Of course," a smile full of teeth that seemed perhaps a bit too sharp, "the boss will be delighted to see you, I'll let him know you've arrived. Right this way." He led them to a table away from the other patrons, seating them by a window that would overlook the sun's descent under the skyline, giving them their menus and disappearing.  
"You know the boss here?" Trina arched an eyebrow.  
"Owner, boss, whatever you want to call him."  
Tori took it all in, not even surprised by that as she curiously opened the menu and skimmed through, "What are we getting?"  
"Whatever your heart desires. If the three of you want, we can even get a pizza."  
That seemed to strike them as a good idea, but there was still some curiosities about the rest of the menu, and eventually it was decided they would order a small pizza and each couple could share another entre. By then, their drinks had arrived and their hunger had only grown. A basket of garlic bread was placed in the center of the table, accompanied by a rich voice that made Tori immediately wary and a tad uneasy. A glance to the man revealed someone dressed too nicely to be working in a restaurant, and his voice gave his age away more than his features did. He had a hint of silver to his hair, and his eyes were piercing and knowing. Nothing seemed out of order, but she did catch a hint of fangs as he spoke.  
"Jade Diana West. It's always a pleasure to see you, my girl. What's the occasion?"  
The demon warmed slightly but seemed pleased and maybe even a bit proud, "I suppose you could call it a social call, Virmire. A bit of a date night."  
"You must be the date," the man turned to Tori and offered a charming smile and small bow. Glancing to the other side of the table his smile grew, "And Catrina Valentine even graces us this evening. I'll send your waiter over and oversee the preparation of your food myself. Only the best for such esteemed guests."  
Only when he left did Tori bring up her unease, keeping an eye out for their promised waiter, "Who is he? Something feels...weird about him."  
"Yeah. A gut feeling or something," Trina added, brow furrowed.  
"Remember Jade told you guys vampires run big cities?" Cat asked softly.  
When the sisters nodded, Jade continued for her, "Well, here is no exception. He's only been here a few decades but he's one of the big bosses. You probably have that feeling because he's undead. You're right to be wary, I may hold his favor but he's a very old, very dangerous vampire."  
"I thought you said dead or undead, whatever they are, vampires are affected by the sun and stuff?" Trina protested.  
"They are. It is complicated. The undead have greater powers than you and other living vampires, one such power being that they can have their own little... what's the term? Harem, if you will, to regularly feed from, often built of living vampires. Many of the staff here is likely part of it. It becomes an addiction on both ends, many times very mentally abusive to the living and really messes them up. On the undead's end, they need to keep their harem to continually have more power, and enough to handle even brief exposure to sunlight. He also stated out of the direct rays, which is similar to a loophole to an extent." Jade paused when their waiter arrived, giving him their order.  
When the young man left again, Cat took a sip of her drink and avoided eye contact, "It may also be because he doesn't have a soul that you get that feeling."  
"What?" Both Vegas spoke at almost the same time, heads whipping around to face Cat, but it was Jade who answered.  
"I wanted to wait until you had a better grasp of the living before covering the dead in our lessons, but yes, she is correct. Just like when any other creature dies, a vampire loses their soul at their first death. After their second, they move along and can be reincarnated as whatever. But, undead vampires are without . It is what makes them dangerous, and perhaps the source of their extra power. It eats away at them over time, at their minds, and no amount of blood can fill it."  
The girls were silent as they took in the information, and after too long, Cat tried to distract Trina with conversation, encouraging them all to pick at the garlic bread. To ease the mood, Jade set her drink aside and set her sights on the older Vega, staring her down until brown eyes were on her almost expectantly.  
"What?"  
"So, Trina, what are your intentions with Cat here?" A smirk threatened to slip over her lips.  
"Jade! I might have sworn allegiance and loyalty to you but you aren't my parent!" The redhead protested as her cheeks warmed.  
"I'm just concerned, Kitten. Making sure she has your best interests at heart."  
"Slow down. What did you say?" Trina looked at her date.  
"What?" Cat glanced at her.  
"What do you mean you swore loyalty to her?"  
"Cat and I have a very intertwined history. She was a young hellhound in my human life, not old enough to fully reach her true form. Since then, she and her incarnations chose to do so."  
"So my date is your pet?"  
"I prefer the term animal companion," Cat joked softly, before shaking her head. "Think of it more like when a knight gives their loyalty to fight for a specific side."  
"That's... interesting." Trina mulled the idea over, still thrown off by it all and trying to take it all in.  
When the food came, it brought with it a lighter mood and soon the talk was filled with small talk and praise for the food. Suspicious or not, the vampires couldn't deny that Virmire ran an amazing place to eat. Tori rescued her sister from more playful grilling from Jade by keeping the demon occupied with how unfairly adorable she could be. A fair amount of food went with them to the car after the demon and Cat settled the bill, and it was Trina's suggestion to go for a leisurely stroll and enjoy the night.  
They left the car in the parking lot and picked their way along the streets, heading for a nearby park without any rush. Trina held her girl's hand, and Jade's jacket was over her shoulder once more with an arm around Tori's shoulders as they walked and counted the stars they could see from time to time. The park was lit with the gentle glow of round lights, and the fountain sounded almost gentle as the water rippled steadily. There were a few others enjoying the park but none really paid the four any mind as they made their way along, greeted by the occasional small animal. A comfortable silence had settled between them, the moon peeking down at them as they simply enjoyed the company they found themselves in. All good things must come to an end, however, and for them the end came as a teenage boy with fluffy hair.  
Beck had initially seemed to be walking with a classmate of theirs before he saw them. The girls couldn't make out what he said to his companion, but he approached them alone. "So what the hell is this?"  
Jade beat Trina to the punch, "A park. They can be found in many cities throughout the world. Some even have playgrounds with swing sets and slides for little children to play on."  
"Fuck off, I wasn't talking to you."  
"Just answering your dim little question."  
"I wasn't speaking to you, nor do I care to," Beck eyed the demon with obvious distaste.  
"Well you just did and maybe you've forgotten, but she could bring your guts outside your body faster than you could blink, show some fucking decency and respect," Tori bristled, leaving Jade intrigued by this new side to her.  
"Beck, please, just leave us alone. We can talk later," Trina urged, wanting to avoid further confrontation before things had the chance to escalate more than they were."  
The boy, however, had no such plans, "It's always 'we'll talk later' right? I've been waiting fucking weeks, Trina. Trying to figure out what your issue has been. With your sister keeping a pet demon I hardly blame you for having problems."  
"I don't have an issue," Trina snapped at him, growing more and more frustrated by his refusal to leave. "You want an answer, Beck, I'm a fucking vampire, and you're here still having hissy fits over a demon."  
"Really now?" Beck laughed, shaking his head, "You can't even just give me an actual answer or reason. You're going to stand here, look me in the eyes and tell me you're some fantasy bloodsucker, just so you don't have to justify this little date you're on."  
"Beck, just leave us alone. I'm not bitching about you blatantly having started weighing your new options."  
Beck didn't look away from Trina, "The difference is, I've been honest this whole time. So I guess helping Cat with something personal meant personally helping yourself to some pussy, right?"  
Trina wasn't given the benefit of time to react to that. Cat released her hand and without even a word, her body was surging forward and her arm was in motion. Few living knew the full strength behind a hellhound, and that night Beck was treated to a small taste. It was mainly shock and the speed at which it was approaching that kept Beck from reacting to the approaching fist, which sent him down and displaced a tooth or two.  
Cat’s voice was low, small frame shaking with anger, "Keep your goddamn mouth shut." She spun on her heel, all but dragging the other three after her as she stormed away before she could strike again, the vampires too stunned to protest, and Jade keeping the boy down and silent until she deemed there was enough distance between them.  
"Holy shit Cat," Tori finally said. "That was unbelievable. He had it coming but I wasn't expecting that." Her sister remained silent through the little chatter as they made their way back to the car to go back home. The ride was tense, many eyes on Trina to analyze her silence and mood with no success. Upon their arrival at the Vega household, it was Tori to offer that they all watch a movie downstairs before the night ended. Without protest, it was agreed upon and Jade's suit was traded for her usual casual attire while the girls went up to change, Tori offering the redhead something more comfortable to borrow. The demon put their leftovers in the fridge and tossed a few snacks into the living room as she reviewed the evening's events. All it all, she'd mark it a success, considering. The girls didn't make her wait long, and Tori chose a movie before they paired off onto the two couches.  
It was a good movie, nothing obnoxiously cheesy or a downer. The upbeat mood seemed to get rid of the tension that hung in the air, and Tori curled herself up to the demon, lazy and sleepy after their meal. Cat, on the other hand, kept stealing glances at Trina and growing more and more concerned. It took until a good chunk of the movie had passed, over half an hour, for her to gently reach for the older girl's hand and cuddle up to her warmth.  
Trina's reaction was a bit less warm than she was expecting when the brunette jerked away and abruptly got up, "Cat, I need space," her words tumbled out, too fast to be stopped. "I can't do this, I'm not ready for all of this," she shook her head, bolting out of the room to put some space between them while she tried to deal with how overwhelming it all was.  
Tori was the first to react, leaving the other couch to follow her sister as Jade stopped the movie. Leaving the vampires to work it out themselves, she moved to sit with the dejected puppy on the other couch, "You okay?"  
Cat was quiet, looking down at her hands in her lap, and her voice was small, without any hint of the bite that had previously been in it at the park, "I don't know what I did wrong..."  
"Shh, hush now, none of that. You know how humans are, they're rash and need time. Even if they are really vampires. She's probably just shaken up after a certain tool made an appearance to be a baby."  
"I should just go..."  
"At least wait and see if she comes back down when they're done talking. You haven't done anything wrong, pup," Jade draped the blanket over her friend carefully.  
Upstairs, Trina glanced at her reflection, makeup starting to run, and she wiped at the hint of Cat’s lipstick on her cheek, skin too hot and head spinning. The timid knock at the door didn't help either, but to her relief it was her sister who came in and not Cat. She didn't look at the other girl, back to her as she wiped her face.  
"Hey," Tori kept her voice soft and gentle, "are you okay?" Maybe that was a stupid question. "Do you want to talk about it?"  
"I just can't do this." Trina hated the way her voice wavered.  
"Do what?" Tori gently rested a hand on her back.  
"Any of this. I just want everything to be normal again!" Trina allowed herself to be guided to her bed so they could sit.  
"I know, but we can't change what happened. Is this because of what happened in the park? I know you weren't taking any of this well but it seemed like it was a little easier for you to accept the family thing lately."  
"Everything. I don't get why he's being a dick when he's obviously not too torn up over it all."  
Tori pulled her older sister into a careful hug, "I don't know. You don't have to figure it all out tonight, you have time. If you wanna talk, I've always been here."  
It took a moment but Trina returned the embrace, more tightly than expected, "I need some time alone. But thanks. Maybe we can talk tomorrow. I just need a long shower and to go to bed." She rose and made her way to the bathroom, leaving Tori to head back downstairs alone.  
Tori met Cat’s eyes and offered a small smile, only for the redhead to return a sad smile and take her leave, softly promising to return the clothes next time they saw each other. Tori found herself quickly alone with Jade again, a frown etched into the demon’s features. A sigh slipped from Jade, and she offered her hand to Tori, letting the vampire take her up the stairs to the bedroom where they could call it a night. They slipped under the blankets, curling close in the silent room.  
"Your sister okay?" Jade eventually murmured.  
"I don't know. I think she will be in a few days. Cat?"  
"Like a kicked puppy. She'll spend the next few days avoiding her and trying to figure out what she did wrong."  
"Hopefully they make up soon... seeing Beck at school won't help."  
"I suppose we'll just have to see. The past half hour not included, how did you enjoy the night?"  
"It was lovely. The food was amazing, and you in a suit... is something I'll need to see again," Tori grinned into a warm shoulder.  
"Oh really?" Jade chuckled, "And what's in it for me?"  
"The removal of the suit."

Trina was nearly asleep when the text came through. Picking up her phone, she squinted at the bright screen, finding a message from Cat and hesitantly opening it.  
_I'm sorry. I'll leave you alone... thanks for coming to dinner._  
A sigh slipped from her lips, and she found that she genuinely felt bad. Her thumbs tapped out a cautious reply, scanning it before sending it.  
_You don't have to. I just, I need some space to figure all of this out without any pressure._  
_I'm sorry. I never meant to pressure you. Goodnight Trina, I'll see you at school._  
_Night Cat._  
Somehow Trina still didn't feel any better.  
 


	5. Lesson Time

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jade gives the Vega sisters a small lesson and they go hunting.

The pair very seldom spoke over the next few days, exchanging a handful of texts each day if Trina initiated it, the redhead keeping her distance so as not to further overwhelm the girl. It had gotten to the point where Trina was beginning to think Cat was avoiding her, and just felt lonelier than ever. The only distraction were her classes, which included the lessons Jade taught. The demon had given her some time to collect her thoughts, but after a two days of school, the demon had apparently decided that she had enough time without education, and announced they were taking a field trip.   
"A field trip?" Trina echoed, arching an eyebrow.  
"Did I stutter?" Jade returned. "A change of scenery will do you both good, and given your recent gain of knowledge about your species and souls, we will take a trip to learn more on them."  
After both girls confirmed they were ready, Jade transported them all to her private study. For the vampires, the pressure on their chests that knocked the breath of them was a new unpleasantry, but it passed once they were fully in the other world. Jade seemed unfazed by it, likely too accustomed to it to even notice anymore. Looking around, her students found the walls lined with shelves and shelves of books, and a long table against one wall with countless jars of varying sizes, each emitting a gentle glow.  
"As we have already covered, every soul has an aura, which dictates the color of it. As can be expected, souls lose power after death when they leave the body, however they can be strengthened with the proper nurturing," Jade paused, golden sparks falling from her fingertips as she dipped into one of the open jars to carefully scoop the contents out. The orb rested in her palm, pulsing gently, and a furry creature darted out of one of the bookshelves. The bat flew over to the desk near the center of the room, taking something in his claws and making his way to the captive soul to drop ground up root onto it. "As always, your help is appreciated, Mortimer. Every soul is different, but those in the same aura class can be treated and strengthened in similar ways. This in particular had been that of a vampire, one who still lives."  
"How does living without a soul affect a live vampire?" Tori asked, while her sister had more pressing commentary.  
"A pet bat? Really? How goth of you."  
"Hush, fangface, he's a familiar not a pet, and I come from a time when Gothic was a cultured form, not whiney posers in a mall. Anyway," she glanced to Tori, "to an extent, they can still function. They feel the same emptiness as the undead vampires do, but the living can find other means of filling the gap. Often they will require more self control because their instincts run rampant with no soul to ground them. In few instances they have even killed their loved ones." At Tori’s insistence, the demon touched upon what each of the aura colors generally meant for the soul, mentioning numerous times that while aura color was important, it was not a limitation.  
"What do you have so many souls sitting around for?" Trina peered into a few other jars.  
"Many things. They are useful in trades, as power, in rituals, and so forth."  
"So when a vampire dies, if you were to take their soul, could you give them a soul?"  
"It's much more complicated than that. A soul will often reject a body that isn't one of its host's. Remember, the soul is very different from the consciousness, and vampires are wired to run without souls after death, may even reject the thought." Jade looked for a way out of that subject, seeing that her familiar and assistant had settled on Tori's hand, where he harmlessly nipped at her fingers. "Mortimer, you ridiculous little fiend," Jade chuckled as she reached out to fondly scratch his wings, "vampire bat doesn't mean you eat vampires. Speaking of which," she glanced to both girls, "I would like to take a hunting expedition soon. It's important we begin to get you the proper diets. I won't push until you're ready, but within the next month I would like to start getting you in line with your instincts." The matter of training Trina’s self control was something Jade had hoped to have Cat’s help with, and with any luck she would before the expedition. The rest of their lesson was occupied with Jade patiently answering relevant questions before they went back to the girls' home.  
The next day, Trina finally hunted down her hellhound, guiding her into the janitor's closet so they could talk privately. "Cat, really, I'm sorry I freaked out on you. But thank you for giving me the space I needed so I could sort my head out." It had been a confusing process, sorting her feelings for Cat and the worries she had there from the unease she felt about herself, and the way things had ended with Beck. If nothing else, however, the demon’s teachings had reminded her to take advantage of having a soul while she had the chance, and if anyone could help her embrace her nature, it was the redhead who had accepted all of her in stride.  
"No, I'm sorry I pushed you, it was never my intention. If you still need your space, that's okay," Cat quickly shook her head, worried about rushing the older girl.  
"Cat," a gentle finger rested on her lips, "do you want to come over and we can finish that movie and order a pizza?"  
"Can I hold your hand?" The question was timid and Cat’s gaze swept the floor as her cheeks warmed.  
Trina gently tilted her chin up, pressing a tender little kiss to her lips, "Of course."

It was a relief to all to find the pair holding hands as they disappeared upstairs with a pizza box, and Tori smiled as she nudged Jade, "See? I told you they'd work it out."  
"I never said otherwise dear heart," Jade met her vampire's lips in a lingering kiss. "What would you like to do?"  
"I need to finish my homework, and my mom said she wanted to speak with you," Tori reluctantly pulled away and sat back down.  
The demon groaned, "Whatever is broken was like that when I found it."   
The comment earned a chuckle, "Just see what she wants babe, I have to go in when I finish anyway to help her with dinner."  
Jade grumbled but obeyed, straying to the coffeemaker when she reached the room. "Tori said you wished to speak with me?"  
"Step outside with me, please."   
Jade didn't like the sound of that but reluctantly followed the woman out the backdoor to overlook the pool and little garden. "So?"  
"Tori tells me you took the girls to study souls yesterday."  
"They had questions, I found it was the easiest way to answer them."  
Holly turned to fully face Jade, "I trust you remember the deal you made with my parents."  
"It is a difficult one to forget," Jade met her gaze calmly.  
"And your progress?"  
"Is being made. It is a rather difficult process when no studies of it exist other than my own, but I will have it completed."  
"Good. My parents are not pleased that you spend so much time here when you could be working."  
"Tell Maurice and Bernard to rest assured in my work. If anything, Victoria's freeing me has only further invested me in saving your soul and those of your daughters. If that is all, I will be on my way."

Tori tugged Jade close as she shut her bedroom door, "You missed dinner."  
"I had some work that needed to be tended to," Jade murmured into soft lips, pulling Tori against herself and winding her arms around her.   
"Anything I should worry about?" Fangs playfully nipped at her lip.  
"Not in the least," Jade smiled, savoring the closeness before they parted to get changed. Jade opted for shorts, and in the light, Tori caught a glimpse of deep maroon against creamy skin, studying pale legs to find a serpent like creature, maybe a dragon, that started at the top of her calf and coiled onto her thigh.  
"What's that? I've never seen it before," Tori reached out, touching the heated skin softly. "Not that you've given me much chance to."  
"A seal, of sorts I suppose you could say. Even though I'm a demon, and may be free to an extent, I still have dues to pay and those I must obey. Come on, let's go to bed."  
Tori could tell it wasn't a topic the demon was eager to get into tonight, and let it go, finishing getting changed before she curled herself around Jade under the sheets and turned off the light. 

“Jade, are you sure we’re ready for this?” Unease turned the vampire’s voice into a whine.   
“Of course I’m sure, I know everything,” came the retort as the demon eyed the sisters, leaning against a tree. “Come on, you’re big girls. It’s time to learn to hunt for yourselves. Besides, look how excited Cat is, are you really going to say no to those faces?”   
She did have a point, Cat was trotting around excitedly, paws all but prancing on the first floor as the smoldering coals that were her eyes darted about. One of the hellhound's heads tilted back to bay excitement to the sky, the other two looking adoringly up at the elder vampire. Trina was trying very hard not to pet her girlfriend, especially since sparks were rising from the crimson fur, but it was growing very difficult. Tori could only sigh, knowing this would be an argument she wasn’t going to win.   
“Just. No people yet, right?”   
“You have my word. Only animals tonight. When I know you have enough self control, we will move to humans,” Jade gave her hand a squeeze before pushing off the tree with one leg. Cat took that as sign to take off, twin heads in the air turning this way and that with the breeze to catch the smell of prey, while the center head bowed closer to the ground, keeping an eye out as she bounded ahead, leaving the faint wild sparks that rise from bonfires in her wake. Trina was the first behind her, allowing the smell of blood from somewhere within these woods to bring her instincts to the surface, a dangerous grace in her quick, quiet movements. Tori wasn’t far from her sister, and Jade kept a close eye on her, egging her on and feeding her the slightest hints of demon blood to quiet her mind and lend volume to her hunting drive.   
Jade had started by wounding a deer shortly before they began, starting the duo off small before they worked up to tracking down a large, healthy mark and taking it down. Cat took no time at all to catch wind of its tracks, leading the girls to the ever strengthening scent of blood. Jade had done a mercy, decidedly, when their victim came into view. The stag was slow with age, legs shaking as it limped forth, one leg nearly dragging behind it. The beasts antlers still looked magnificent, though the vulnerability of the animal made it easy to assume they were brittle, despite the untruth in such an assumption. Silver nostrils flared, the scents in the air new and screaming danger, but he knew he couldn’t outrun it. His once mighty head swung this way and that, old eyes looking for the threat.   
Jade held Cat back, siccing the vampires on their prey and letting the fresh source of blood mix with the anticipation that had filled the air and the singing of ancient instincts in their bones. They were clumsy, as to be expected of their first hunt, but they made up for it in eagerness. The highlight, in Jade’s humble opinion, was trying not to suffocate from the force of laughter when Trina tackled the poor beast, but the sisters figured it out without either getting impaled by antlers. Jade waited for them to have their fill before moving forward. Wary eyes followed her every move, but she simply closed large eyes and snapped off an antler that disappeared away to her home in another land.   
“Are you ready to continue?” Jade asked calmly, wiping her palms on her pants. The hellhound whined earnestly, searching for a real challenge. “We can find the herd this one once belonged to.”  
“Yes,” Tori answered before her sister had a chance to, setting off after Cat, who had darted off nearly before the word had left her mouth. The night blazed for them as Cat singed a trail into the grass, vampires painting the night sanguine and demon keeping a watchful eye on it all. The vampires coached their instincts, fine tuning them as they learned from trial and error. Cat would cut off their target, separating it from the group, and then the Vegas would go in for the kill. Elegance was something they would pick up the more they practiced, and perhaps it was the discipline and self-control of martial arts that gave Trina more control over the bloodlust they were feeding.   
“I’m surprised you loosened up enough to enjoy yourself,” Jade commented, watching the vampire across from her as they closed themselves into the bathroom. The demon sat on the counter while the vampire disrobed to clean up, the faint sound of running water from Trina’s shower a pleasant quiet hiss.   
“Why is that?” Tori turned to face her, not missing a beat as she pulled her shirt over her head. The cinnamon ring of her eye was still only a thin border around her dilated pupils. A smirk tugged the corner of her lips when she noticed that the demon's gaze lingered on her fangs when she spoke.   
“I just expected you to be a stick in the mud, fussy fangs,” Jade chuckled, taking the shirt that was thrown at her. She filled the sink with warm water, taking a bottle from the medicine cabinet and pouring clear liquid onto the bloodied parts before rinsing it.   
“Says the demon so tamely playing housewife right now,” Tori snorted, turning the water on as she continued to disrobe. “You going to join me so I don’t have to focus on the sounds my sister is going to try and make Cat make?”  
“This side of you is so forward,” the demon grinned, “not that I’m complaining.” She finished the task at hand before stripping down to oblige. A smirk graced her lips, a less than clever idea coming to mind but Jade always did enjoy dances with the devil, and so a claw dragged down the column of her throat. Shortly after stepping into the shower with her vicious little vampire, she found herself pinned to the wall with heated breath panting a rhythm on her throat as Tori tried to show some self-restraint in their little game.  
Jade was the first one in the bedroom, sprawling leisurely out on the cool sheets and closing her eyes, content with her nerves humming little echoes of pleasure. Tori had kicked her out so the vampire could get dressed, and Jade had been too curious to put up too much fuss. She nuzzled her face against a pillow that smelled of them both, mind at peace after a night in the forest, hunting down prey and watching other species at work. The door opening caught her attention, opening her eyes and making her lift her head. Her throat went dry, legs tensing for the briefest moment as she took the other girl in. Black lack and cotton rested against still damp skin, and dark hair was thrown into a casual, messy up do that allowed a few wet strands to cling to her neck. The vampire grinned at the reaction she had been seeking, striding over to the bed and tilting the demon’s chin up before leaning down for a kiss.

Jade was in a very relaxed mood the next morning, lazily sprawled across the armchair in the living room. Her legs dangled as she eyed her students, waiting on them to choose the topic of their newest lesson. She was less than surprised when her lover put forward the suggestion of souls again. Despite not knowing her own soul's fate, the vampire was oddly fascinated with them.  
Trina was less than pleased by another trip to Jade's true home, but Cat's presence seemed to pacify her for the time being. The couple made themselves comfortable on a couch, while Tori spoiled Mortimer with treats. The demon carefully sorted through the gently glowing jars on her desk, finally selecting one and cradling it in her palms. Turning, she rested her weight against the desk and faced her students.   
"The more time passes, the stronger the soul gets, however it also becomes more difficult to work with. When an individual surrenders their soul, they do so without realizing that they have no control over how long their soul is kept before it is used and released to move into another incarnation. What happens is the longer a soul sits, the more access it has to previous incarnations, giving it more power and collective strength. The problem comes in that the more access the soul has to those remembrances of reality and lifetimes, the less willing it becomes to submit to our will until it realizes that is the only way to move on." Jade slowly ran a fingertip along the edge of the lid, studying the amber glow within.   
"And what do you use them for again?" Trina arched an eyebrow, holding off on pointing out the less than ethical treatment given that the offending species were demons and not exactly known for being benevolent.   
"They can be used in applications of magick, or bartering really, but anyway, most of the time," she slowly twisted the lid off, "they're absorbed to add to our own abilities." Her hand rested over the jar when the lid was removed, a faint red glow beginning in her palm that the gentle glow rose to meet. Slowly the color seemed to absorb into the demon's skin, and when she removed her hand, the wisp of what remained rose through the air before dissipating.   
"What do you mean magick?" Tori asked, looking back to Jade after watching the husk of a soul disappear.   
"You know. Chaos, conjuration, a lot of stuff. If we want to make something happen, instead of using the energy all around us, a soul can be used for quicker, more powerful sources," Jade shrugged slightly.   
"There are also the non-human souls," Cat spoke up. "Animal souls aren't really used because it's difficult to collect one and considered disrespectful and really looked down upon apart from mercy kills. Of course that doesn't stop everyone, mainly because there's something very unique about how pure the soul is considered."  
Jade nodded her agreement, "Of course there are also humanoid souls, or supernatural or whatever you call them. The exact reasoning is still up for debate and study, but those souls are much more powerful than human souls. The two are far from equal despite human souls actually appearing a bit larger and more vibrant. A popular theory is evolution making souls like ours less appealing to demons and some predators that hunt souls specifically. Others say it’s because the loss of humanity weakens the soul but the new abilities instill power within."   
"What do you believe?" Tori asked.   
Another shrug. "That it's not my place to say right now. Maybe one day I'll have relevant input to the debate, but until then I'm content to be open to all theories."


End file.
